Living Amongst The Dandelions
by The Delirium Threemen
Summary: This a collection/series of stories that will be in chronological order.  All of the stories will have one common theme throughout them - they will all contain a fact or myth about the dandelion.
1. Life With A Former Compton Amargon

**Living Amongst the Dandelions**

**The Delirium Threemen  
March 2011**

**Preface**

**This is a collection of stories, which by themselves, could stand alone. Most of the stories in this series/collection will center around Roy DeSoto, what can I say I'm a Roy fan. However, there will be some stories that will feature other Emergency characters. There is a chronological order to these stories. All of the stories will have one thing in common; whether you consider it a flower or a weed, friend or foe, each story will include some fact or myth about the dandelion.**

**The first two stories have a relation to my first story "Messages from the Heart". It is not necessary to read that story. Some of the stories in this series may be referenced in future works that I have planned. At the moment, I have around 14 stories planned for this series. So yes, there is an end to this collection of stories.**

**Enjoy!**

**The Delirium Threemen**

* * *

**Life With A Former Compton Amargon**

**The Delirium Threemen**

**March 2011**

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/****Mark VII Productions****. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

**Authors Note:**

**In my story "Messages From The Heart", the first chapter dealt briefly with why Harriett had divorced Roy's father. She also remarried a man named Jim Finley who became Roy's stepfather.**

The young mother walked briskly down the street as one of her arms was being pumped back and forth by the excited seven-year-old attached to it. Each had a baseball glove tucked under their free arm. Reaching the traffic light at the corner, she looked down at the baseball cap covering the head belonging to her son. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as the light turned green and they continued the trek to the neighborhood park.

Her son reminded her so much of her brother Wally, who perished during World War II. Royal Wallace Cabot was a junior grade Lieutenant aboard the USS Indianapolis when it was torpedoed by an I-58 Japanese submarine between Guam and Leyte Gulf. About 900 crewmen made it into the water when the cruiser first sank.

Harriett often wondered if Wally was one of the unfortunate ones who lingered for days in the ocean until succumbing to one of many things like exposure, salt-poisoning, dehydration or a shark attack. She recalled most of this information from the news accounts on Captain Charles McVay's court-martial. The only thing she knew for sure about her brother was that he wasn't one of the 316 men who survived.

"Mom…Mom, the light's green now," her thoughts interrupted by Roy as he tugged gently on her arm to get her attention.

She smiled down at the son she had named for her beloved brother while the two of them crossed the street to the other side. She wasn't sure who was more excited about going to the park. Her thoughts began to drift to more pleasant memories, such as the last time she had thrown a baseball.

"I bet I can guess who your favorite player is, Mom!" Roy asked excitedly.

"You may lose that bet, buckaroo."

"Is it The Babe, Lou Gehrig, or Joltin' Joe?"

"Nope, nope and nope. It happens to be a pitcher who struck out the _Sultan of Swat_ and _The Iron Horse_ on the same day."

"Really, he struck out both Ruth and Gehrig in the same day?"

Harriett let out a light laugh, "I never said it was a he. In fact, it was a SHE."

"_NO WAY!_ A _girl_ struck out both The Babe and Gehrig?" the young boy replied back in amazement.

"Saw it with my own two eyes, kiddo."

"I _NEVER_ heard of a girl pitcher. What team was she on?" Roy asked skeptically.

"Well, her name was Jackie Gilbert and she played for Chattanooga Lookouts, minor leagues, Class double-A. She even helped teach me few things about pitching when I met her."

"If she struck out both Ruth and Gehrig, then how come she's not in the majors? There are no gal players in baseball," Roy asked, still somewhat stunned by learning a girl had struck out the two best hitters in baseball.

"How about I tell you about Jackie Gilbert and why women don't play in the major leagues once we're at the park," Harriett answered.

"'Kay, Mom."

They quickly walked across the street and entered the park's gate. Harriett spotted a bench within eye sight of the baseball diamond. A small group of pre-teenage boys had a game going. Mother and son sat down on the bench and Harriett looked down at her son. He returned her gaze with a shy slight smile. Harriett beamed back at her son and began to tell him the story of Jackie Mitchell.

"We had moved to Tennessee shortly after the start of the Depression. Uncle Henry had a farm about 10 miles outside of Chattanooga with Aunt Bertie. We lived a few hours from them, and it was common for my mother to head over to their place on the weekends. Aunt Bertie was sick, and my mother would help her out whenever she could. I normally spent time playing with my cousins on the farm or helping them out with their chores."

Roy looked up patiently at his mother as she paused a moment before continuing.

"Uncle Henry had gotten tickets to an exhibition game between the Yankees and the Chattanooga Lookouts. A few days prior to the game, the owner of the Lookouts signed a female pitcher by the name of Jackie Mitchell. The newspapers in the Chattanooga area were all atwitter over the Lookouts new female pitcher."

"The crowd was anticipating the rare chance to see the Yankees play. Many of us were also wondering if Jackie would be pitching. Of course, there were reporters and a newsreel camera ready to film the game that day."

"Jackie was called up to the mound after the starting pitcher gave away a double and single that resulted in a score for the Yankees. It was Jackie's first time pitching and she was facing Babe Ruth. Jackie pitched left-handed and threw a fast ball that dropped down suddenly as it neared the plate. Her first pitch to Babe Ruth resulted in a ball being called. The Babe swung and missed the next two pitches. He didn't swing on third pitch, which stayed in the strike-zone. The ball was over the corner of the plate as it dropped, and the umpire called the third strike on Babe Ruth."

Harriett looked down at the amazed expression on her son's face. "Babe Ruth left the field in a huff. Lou Gehrig walked up to the plate for his turn at bat. He swung his bat at all three of pitches Jackie threw at him - and MISSED them all! Jackie had just struck out the two greatest hitters in baseball. The crowd went wild and it took several minutes for all the cheering to die down."

"So what happened next?" Roy asked.

"Once the crowd calmed down, the next Yankee to bat was Tony Larzarri and he didn't swing at all and walked to first. After Larzarri walked, they pulled her out of the game and went with the original pitcher, Clyde Barfoot. That was the only time she played during the entire game. Of course, the Yankees clobbered the Lookouts 14-4."

"So why didn't they let her play anymore?" Roy asked.

Harriett frowned, "I'm not really sure why. If I were to gander a guess, I would say they felt all the other Yanks were going to refuse to swing and try to walk like Larzarri. A few days after that game was when the Baseball Commissioner voided Jackie's contract. He claimed that baseball was 'too strenuous' for women. At least, that was the way he put it."

Roy looked up at his mother in disbelief, "Really? Why would he do a mean thing like that?"

Harriett thought a moment before answering, "Well, honey, even Babe Ruth didn't like the idea of women playing professional baseball. He pretty much felt women weren't up to the game."

"That kinda stinks. I mean, how many people could strike out Babe Ruth along with Lou Gehrig," Roy muttered sourly.

"A lot of men felt the same way he did. In fact, some claimed that Jackie striking out Ruth and Gehrig was rigged. That they did the gentlemanly thing and let her strike them out."

"You were there, Mom—do you think Jackie really struck them out?"

Harriett smiled down at her son, "Of course Jackie really struck them out. Some people just refused to believe it."

"So what happened to Jackie after that? Did she give up baseball?"

"Well, Jackie traveled around pitching at exhibition games. She retired from baseball a few years later after she grew tired of being a sideshow act. She returned to Chattanooga to work for her father."

"Tell me about when you met Jackie," Roy inquired.

Harriett chuckled, "Before my family moved to California, I had a chance meeting with Jackie. My brother, cousins and I had a game going in the pasture at Uncle Henry's farm. I was pitching and Jackie Mitchell happened to be driving by. She pulled off to the side of the road to watch us play before climbing the fence. She asked to join in for a bit. We were all flabbergasted that the girl who struck out the two greatest hitters of the day had appeared at the farm. She must have spent an hour pitching balls to us. Afterwards, she gave me some tips on pitching. Showed us some arm stretches and stressed the importance of warming up before the game."

"Can you show me how to pitch like Jackie showed you?" Roy asked.

Harriett picked up her baseball glove, "Well, first we have to work on throwing and catching. How about we see how that goes. When you're ready we'll work on your pitching."

The two of them stood near the bench while Harriett went through some arm stretches with Roy. She handed Roy the ball and he ran to a spot about thirty feet from her. She smiled approvingly as he pointed his shoulders in her direction. He took a step forward as he threw the ball at her. She took a couple of steps forward to meet the ball.

"Thumb to the Thigh, Knuckles to the Sky, Mom," Roy yelled triumphantly back to her. He knew his throw was short on distance, but it stayed straight.

Harriett lobbed the ball back his way. "That's right, you remember the rule. Loosen up your wrist more when you throw. It looked a little stiff."

She hadn't taught him the four seam grip yet. She planned on doing that when she felt he was ready to learn to pitch. He threw another ball her way. She noted that he had managed to keep his elbow up. In time, she knew he would have a little more power behind his throw. Her main concern was on teaching him to use the proper techniques. She could hear him repeating the throwing mantra she had drilled into him over the next few throws, 'Down, Back and Up.'

"Okay, now it's time to work on some catching now," Harriett shouted over to her son as she threw a low ground ball his way.

Roy skirted to the side and held his gloved arm out from his side at a downward angle and missed catching the ball. He quickly ran after the ball as it came to a stop several yards away. He picked it up and tossed it back in his mother's direction. His seven-year-old arms didn't quite have the strength to throw the ball the entire distance, so it landed a few feet shy of where his mother was standing.

Harriett signaled for Roy to come over to her, "Okay, Buster Brown, what did you forget about catching grounders?"

"Try to center your body with the ball and use both hands when catching," Roy answered with his head hung low.

Harriett tilted his head upwards and gave her son a reassuring smile, "Hey sweetie, I only want to see the button on the top of your cap when you're catching the ground balls."

"I sorta forgot the button on the cap thing," Roy smiled shyly back at his mother.

"Okay kiddo, let's go over the catching rules. What is the "Belly Button" rule?" Harriett asked as she poked her son lightly in the stomach.

"Fingers Up, Fingers Down. Up if the ball is above the belly button and down if the ball is below the belly button," Roy answered with a grin.

"Two hands rule?"

"Follow the ball into the glove with your hand because, it will stop the ball from popping out of your glove and it's quicker to take the ball out of the glove when you throw it."

"Catch position rule?"

"Move towards the ball and meet it dead on."

"And…?" Harriett prompted him to finish.

"Two hand rule. Catch it in the center of the body with both hands," Roy answered enthusiastically.

Roy ran back to the open area of grass where he was earlier. Harriett tossed him a short hop. Roy moved towards the ball coming at him and caught with his hand immediately following the ball into his glove. He smiled as he threw the ball back to his mother. Harriett continued throwing several 'pop flies', 'line drives', and 'ground' balls his way. Roy managed to catch most of them. As the afternoon wore on she noticed his return throws were gradually getting a little less distance. She knew he was tiring and signaled for Roy to come over to her.

"Time to head on home. I'm getting kinda pooped out," Harriett said once Roy was at her side.

Roy smiled up at her in agreement. Harriett knelt down so she was eye-level with her son. She stared at him for a moment. The reddish-blonde hair and the smattering of freckles running across the bridge of his nose spilling onto his checks reminded her so much of her brother. She looked up at the white puffy clouds in the sky as she thought of Wally. _Royal Wallace Cabot, I miss you so much_. Roy scurried off to the fountain while Harriett waited. She spotted the white tock of a dandelion nearby and plucked it out of the ground. She stared at its white head for a moment.

_He reminds me so much of you at times. He has your baby-blue eyes. I wish he could have met his namesake_. She blew at the white tock and watched as the seedlings drifted away from her. She felt a light warm breeze lift the hair at the back of her neck and she could almost hear Wally's voice as it toyed with a lock of hair around her ear. "_Thank goodness you named him Roy instead of Royal."_ She could almost hear his light laughter, _How you hated the name Royal. Mom always said you insisted on going by your middle name before outgrowing your nappies_. She watch the seedlings drift further away in the light spring breeze. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Roy had returned from the water fountain. _"You did the right thing, for him and yourself, never doubt that, Harri."_

"Mom, Mom, what did you just wish for?" Roy asked his young face filled with confused curiosity as he spotted the naked dandelion stem in her hand.

Harriett smiled, "I was just thinking of somebody and I sent them my thoughts."

"Didn't you tell me, you can make wishes by blowing the dandelion seeds into the air?"

"Yes I did, but you can also send your thoughts to someone by blowing on a dandelion as well."

"Who were you sending thoughts too?"

"I was just letting your Uncle Wally know I miss him," Harriett replied with a heavy sigh as she stood up.

"Mom, did Uncle Wally like baseball too?" Roy asked as he wondered his uncle.

Harriett smiled, "He loved baseball as much as I did. He loved to tease me about having a rubber arm."

"What does that mean?

"It means I could pitch for a long time without my arm getting tired."

"Did you ever think about playing baseball like Jackie Mitchell?" Roy inquired as they walked through the park towards the entrance to the street.

"Honey, I actually did play on a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League called the Compton Amargons with Aunt Kazzy during the war."

"Really? You and Aunt Kazzy played professional baseball?" Roy looked up at his mother with his eyes as big as saucers.

"There were a few major league baseball big-wigs that thought a professional league with women players would maintain interest in baseball while the men fought in World War Two. I met Aunt Kazzy during the final tryouts in Chicago. Only 280 girls were invited to those tryouts. We would run back and forth to each others' rooms at the Belmont Hotel during the final selection process for the teams to tell each other the latest on which girls didn't make the cut and who was still left. Finally, Kazzy and I were offered contracts to play with the Compton Amargons. The following year we actually got to go Peru for spring training."

"What position did Aunt Kazzy play?"

"She played right field," Harriet answered as they walked towards their apartment building.

"Did Uncle Wally ever get to see you play?"

Harriett smile as she put an arm around her son. "Uncle Wally was able to catch my first game before he had to head out to the war."

"You miss him a heck of a lot, don't you Mom?" Roy said with the sadness he felt for his mother's loss heavy in his young voice.

Harriett looked down at her son with a whimsical smile, "Yes, honey, I'll always miss Wally, but it helps sharing my memories of him with you."

They walked silent for a few minutes before Roy tugged at his mother's arm, "Can you tell me some of your baseball stories?"

"How about after supper I show you some of my baseball stuff."

"Deal, and don't forget the stories," Roy answered excitedly as they entered the courtyard of the apartment building.

* * *

After supper, Harriett had Roy spell out the words from his latest chapter in his spelling book before they both headed off to her bedroom. Harriett had packed away a box of items that her friend 'Kazzy' had brought for her during her last visit. Harriett dug around in her closet as Roy sat on her bed waiting patiently. Harriett emerged from the closet with the box and set it on the bed beside Roy. She opened the lid and pulled out a smaller box. Taking the lid off that box she held up the top part of a baseball uniform. It was short-sleeved with a front panel decorated with an emblem representing the Compton Amargons. The panel buttoned down the left side of the shirt.

She held the garment up in front of her. "Hmmm, I wonder if I this even remotely fits anymore?" she mused to herself.

Roy's eyes grew enormous when she held up the short and flashy skirt of the outfit with its accompanying belt. "Mom! You didn't really wear a skirt that short?"

"Your Uncle Wally said something like that when he watched my first game," Harriet laughed.

"We also wore matching knee-high socks with those skirts. I guess they thought showing a little leg would help bring people to the stadiums," Harriett said in order to lighten the mood as she went back to the closet and pulled out a case. "Here is the cosmetic case all the girls on the teams were given."

"Makeup? Why would they give you makeup for playing baseball?"

"Well honey, unlike the men's leagues, they had strict guidelines for us girls to follow. We were taught how to properly put on makeup and NEVER were we to appear in public without it on. We also had to go to charm school as part of our spring training too. When we weren't playing ball the league expected us to act and look like ladies at all times. We had rules we had to follow off the field. We couldn't wear slacks in public, our hair always had to be neat and tidy and not too short."

"What did makeup and charm school have to do with baseball?" a puzzled Roy asked.

"It was more the image Mr. Wrigley and the other investors in the league wanted. They wanted to make sure we were seen as proper ladies off the baseball field. We had chaperones and dates with a fellow had to be approved by them. The league had very strict standards of behavior for us to follow."

"Kinda like school, where we have to follow the rules, huh?"

"More or less," Harriett answered as she folded the uniform back up and put it away before pulling out her old athletic shoes and a baseball covered with signatures.

"Anybody famous sign that ball, Mom?" Roy asked as he bounced excitedly on the bed.

Harriett chuckled, "No dear, just the other team members. That was the last ball I pitched in my last season with the team."

"Did you win that year?"

"No we never even made it to the semi-finals," Harriett sighed as she passed the ball over to Roy, "See if you can find Aunt Kazzy's signature on there."

After turning the ball around a few times in his hand Roy finally pointed to a spot. "Here it is," he answered and turned the ball over again, "Here's your signature, Mom."

Harriett pulled out another box and removed the lid. Assembled neatly were rows of baseball cards. She had organized the cards by year and team. She grabbed a group of cards from 1943 and sat down on the bed.

"At the start of the season we weren't allowed to mingle with the girls on the other teams, so during spring training many of us would pass our baseball cards amongst each other and sign them."

"Wow, you had baseball cards just like the guys," Roy said as he scanned through the stack Harriett gave him.

She pulled him closer to her and went through the cards with him. "There's Aunt Kazzy's card," Harriett pointed to the card of the perky looking brunette player with the name Velma Kazmierczak. She had signed the card by the nickname her and the other girls had given her. After almost two hours of going through the baseball cards with Harriett telling Roy some stories about some of the games she played and some of the other players on the other teams she finally put the cards away.

"So Mom, did you get a nickname like Aunt Kazzy," Roy inquired.

Harriett chuckled, "Because I could run fast they used to call me 'Hurricane Harriett.' Okay young man, time for you to get ready for bed." Roy looked a little disappointed as he slid off the bed. "I'll be in to check on you in ten minutes," she said as he headed to his own bedroom, she called as he left the room.

"Mom, do you think you could autograph my baseball glove for me?" Roy asked as he stood in the doorway.

Harriett gave her son a wide smile, "Okay, bring it here and I'll sign it while you get ready for bed."

Roy quickly returned with his glove and handed it to his mother before heading to his bedroom to change into his pajamas. Harriett searched through her bureau drawer before finding a felt tip pen. After she had signed the glove, she set it on the bed and began repacking her box of memorabilia. She heard Roy in the bathroom brushing his teeth as she placed the last box back into the closet. She entered her son's room just as he finished getting under the covers. She sat down on the side of his bed and brushed back the hair from his forehead.

"You know when you go to Aunt Kazzy's for the summer she can work on your batting," Harriett smiled softly at her son.

Roy looked at her with hesitation clouding his eyes, "I still wish I could stay with here with you."

Harriett gave him a half-smile, "I know, but with me being at work all day I'd rather you stay there where I know you're safe. I'm not too comfortable leaving you here with Mrs. Snapps all day. There really aren't any other children here for you to play with either."

"I know...but I'd still rather be here with you," Roy answered slowly.

"You know, Aunt Kazzy is really looking forward to having you over for the summer. She and Uncle Vern have all kinds of stuff planned for you," Harriett said in persuasion.

Roy gave her a partial smile, "I know, but I just wish you were coming."

"You know sweetie, I'll be up every single weekend. I'm going to miss you to pieces. You know, Aunt Kazzy was pretty good at handling the bat. She scored the most home runs for our team when we played. Bet she'll love teaching you how to hit the ball."

She handed Roy his glove, "How about when you miss me you just look inside your glove."

Roy looked down at what his mother had written inside his glove. Roy smiled as he placed his glove on the dresser. He then wrapped his arms around his mother's neck as they exchanged good-night kisses. Once Roy was tucked in Harriett turned out the light and softly closed the door to his bedroom.

* * *

**_Jim Finley's Wish:_**

Jim Finley finished locking his front door before heading down the front steps of his porch. He spotted the white head of a dandelion at the side of his walkway. He grumbled something about 'damn weeds' before bending down and plucking it from the ground. He stared at it for a moment remembering the days as a boy when he and his friends would make wishes before blowing on the dandelion puff-balls and scattering their seeds in the wind.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try," he muttered to himself.

_I WISH she'd stop saying 'No' every time I ask her out_, he thought as he took a deep breath and blew all the seeds from the dandelion leaving just the naked stem of the plant in his hand. _Humm, I'm sure I'll be pulling plenty of those weeds in a couple of weeks,_ as he watched the seeds drift over his front lawn. He turned and continued up the walkway to his car.

Once inside his vehicle he started it up. He looked up at his reflection in the rear-view mirror and smoothed out his thick hair. He straightened his tie before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway. The 11 o'clock deposit he made daily at the bank seemed eons away. No matter how long the line at her wicket was he always made sure it was the pretty blonde teller named Harriett that waited on him. She had caught his eye the first day she had begun working at the bank. He couldn't help but notice how gracefully she moved or how her makeup always looked perfect - just enough to enhance her features.

For the last three months, Jim would look into her pretty blue eyes and ask her out without any success. Each time she shyly replied 'No' and something about having 'plans' or 'other obligations' after work. Two weeks ago he had followed her home. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do something like that, but he had swung by the bank shortly before it closed and followed her to her apartment. He was about to leave when he saw her and a young boy about six or seven emerge from the building and head up to the corner store. He could hear the boy referring to her as 'Mom' as they walked up the street. Feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed for spying on her, Jim pulled his car out onto the street to head off to his own empty house.

He pulled his car into his parking spot at work and headed inside wondering if today would finally be the day she would say 'yes' and accept at least a lunch date with him.

* * *

**_Two years later:_**

Nine-year-old Roy glanced at the autograph inside of his baseball glove that covered his hand, _Always your number one fan, Hurricane Harriett AKA Mom_. He closed his glove and quickly ran out to the field with the other members of his team. Positioning himself in left field, he anxiously waited for the game to start. He spotted his mother and stepfather Jim in the bleachers alongside his Aunt Kazzy and Uncle Vern who had come down for the day just to watch his first game. He was initially disappointed that he had to leave the bat Aunt Kazzy signed for him at home, but having her and Uncle Vern coming down to see his first game made up for that.

He spotted the fuzzy-white head dandelion nearby and impulsively picked it. _Uncle Wally, I know Mom would be really happy if you let her know you were watching my first game. Do you think you can find a way to let her know you're here?_ He quickly blew the head of the dandelion and watched the seeds resembling little parachutes float away on the light wind of summer .

"Hey Roy, quit goofing around! We got a game to win," Cuddy called out to him from second base. Roy gave him a sheepish grin before focusing his attention towards the batter.

"He looks so adorable in his uniform. Don't forget to send me a picture of him in it," Kazzy whispered to Harriett.

"He was so excited over his first game it took him forever to fall asleep last night," Harriett answered back.

Harriett felt something touch her shoulder and turned her head only to find Jim engrossed in a conversation with Kazzy's husband Vern. _He's certainly your son, Harri. Always be proud of him,_ her brother Wally's voice seemed to whisper in her ear.

* * *

**Dandelion Myths or Facts in this story are:**

**Amargón is a Spanish word used for dandelion. In Guatemala, the amargón variety of the dandelion is used as a salad green and blood strengthener, especially in cases of anemia.**

**The dandelion tock looks like a fine ball of soft white fluff. Blowing on the white head of a dandelion is one way to make a wish. It is also said that you can send a message to another person by visualizing your message as blow on the white head. There are also two other myths I'll mention in future stories in this series that involve blowing on a dandelion.**

**The dandelion is the symbol for persistence and a strong will which I believe describes Jackie Mitchell. The dandelion can also represent wishes coming true, cheerful love, and general happiness.**

**Authors Notes:**

**Joe Engel, the owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts signed up Jackie Mitchell (17 at the time) on March 18, 1931. Mitchell was the second woman to sign a minor-league contract. The first was Lizzie Arlington (who played one game) in 1898 as a pitcher for Reading Coal Heavers.**

**April 2, 1931 was the day Jackie Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig during an exhibition game between the Chattanooga Lookouts and the New York Yankees. Several days later Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided Jackie Mitchell's contract, claiming baseball was too strenuous for women.**

**After her contract was voided, Jackie traveled across the country pitching in exhibition games. After pretty much becoming nothing more than a sideshow act and along with the endless and degrading jokes, she retired from baseball at the age of 23 in 1937. She went to work for her father, an optometrist.**

**July 13, 1952 Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick banned woman from playing professional baseball. The ban lasted until 1992 when Carey Schueler was drafted by the Chicago White Sox for the 1993 season. Note that the drafting of Schueler has been referred to as a publicity stunt and she never actually signed with the White Sox.**

**In 1982 Jackie Mitchell was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Chattanooga Lookouts on their season opening day. In 1987, Mitchell died at the age of 73.**

**The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943 – 1954) was founded by Philip K. Wrigley, Jackie Mitchell refused to come out of retirement and join the league. During spring training Helen Rubinstien's Beauty Salon was contracted by Wrigley and the players were required to attend charm school classes in the evening. There were also rules of conduct the girls had to follow such as wearing lipstick at all times. Each player received a beauty kit and instructions on how to use it. The Rules of Conduct for the league were very strict and there were penalties in place if they were violated.**

**California DID NOT have a team playing in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Compton Amargons is a fictitious team I created for this story. The teams in the league over the years were from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. The idea at the time Wrigley proposed it too many of the Major League owners was not well received. The cities chosen to represent the league at its formation were Racine and Kenosha Wisconsin, Rockford, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana because of their close proximity to Chicago. The following year the league expanded to include a few more teams.**


	2. The Dandelion Princess and The Toad Boys

**The Dandelion Princess and The Toad Boys**

**The Delirium Threemen**

**February 2011**

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/****Mark VII Productions****. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

**Roy would be somewhere between 10-11 years old in this story (thanks Kel!).  
**

The two girls ran and played around in the grassy, empty lot as if it were their own private meadow. The younger girl suddenly stopped and excitedly pointed to the ground, "Jo-Jo look, a puff-ball."

"Let's see how many blows it takes you to remove all the seeds. If it takes more than three puffs your mother wants you home," the older girl teased.

The younger girl grabbed the stem of the white fluffy ball and pulled it from the ground. She inhaled deeply, her mouth formed into an 'O' as she blew on the white ball at the end of the stem. "Fffffffffff…,one, Fffffffffff…., two, Fffffffffff…., three," she laughed as the held the now naked stem of the dandelion. "Good thing I blew them all away because Mom's not home," she smiled up at the older girl.

The older girl picked a puff-ball and blew on it, "One o'clock", on the second blow, "Two o'clock" clearing all the seeds from the stem of the plant. "According to the dandelion it's two o'clock," she informed the younger girl.

"Dandelions can tell time? Who told you that, Jo-Jo?" the younger girl asked.

"I learned that from a poem my older sister taught me. Hey Brenda, would you like me to teach it to you?" Jo-Jo asked.

Brenda enthusiastically nodded her head up and down. "Okay, now listen carefully and I'll recite the whole thing and then I'll have you repeat it with me," Jo-Jo said before reciting the poem.

**I picked a dandelion clock**

**And I held it near my nose**

**I blew the pretty fluff away**

**And counted up my blows**

**"It's one o'clock, it's two o'clock**

**I gave a great big puff –**

**"It's three, it's four o'clock"**

**Away went all the fluff**

**My dandelion clock was right**

**For mother called to me**

**Come in and wash your grubby hands**

**It's nearly time for tea"**

After Jo-Jo finished the poem, she then had Brenda repeat each line after she said it. The girls began picking yellow dandelions as they practiced learning the poem together. Once each girl had collected a handful of dandelions they headed back across the street towards Brenda's house. They spotted Brenda's neighbor Mr. Findley tinkering with his car.

"Hi Mr. Findley. Roy and Cuddy still not back yet?" Jo-Jo asked.

Jim looked up from under the hood of his Woody wagon. "Not yet, they should be back anytime now," he answered before slamming the lid shut on the car. "So what are you two lovely ladies up to," he said as he tipped an imaginary hat in their direction.

Brenda jumped up and down excitedly, "Jo-Jo is gonna teach me how to string dandelions together."

Jo-Jo smiled shyly as Jim responded, "Well then, I'll leave you two to your work. Meanwhile, I'm gonna go inside and clean up."

The girls sat down on the grass near the edge of the walkway as they watched Jim Findley enter his house. Each girl set down the bundle of dandelions they had picked. Jo-Jo used her thumbnail to make a vertical slit in one of the stems about an inch away from the head of the yellow flower. She  
repeated this action to a second flower. Brenda looked on as Jo-Jo inserted the stem of the second flower into the slit she made into the first flower. After stringing a couple of dozen or so flowers together Jo-Jo inserted the stem of the last flower in the chain into the slit of the first flower to form a circle. She slipped the circlet of flowers around her neck.

"Jo, can you make me a necklace too?" Brenda asked.

Jo-Jo smiled down at the younger girl, "If you want to have good luck you need to make your own chain to wear. If I make it, you won't have any luck." Jo-Jo noticed the disappointed frown appear on Brenda's face. "How about I show you how to make one? It's really not that hard."

Brenda's face lit up at that suggestion. Jo-Jo guided Brenda as she assisted the girl in forming her own chain of dandelions. Once the chain was long enough Jo-Jo instructed her on how to put the stem of the last flower into the slit of the first flower. Brenda smiled triumphantly as she placed the necklace of dandelions she had just made around her neck.

"Now don't go putting your fingers in your mouth," Jo-Jo cautioned the younger girl when she noticed Brenda had a hand near her mouth.

"Dandelions aren't poison, are they?" she inquired.

Jo-Jo giggled, "No, but they'll make your hands taste terrible. Best to wash your hands really good before you go back inside for supper."

"Can you make a crown? That way you can be a Dandelion Princess," Brenda asked.

Jo-Jo smiled at Brenda as she proceeded to start another chain of dandelions while they waited for Roy and Brenda's older brother Cuddy to return.

* * *

"Campbell soup, Campbell soup, down your belly and in your boot," the two boys chanted several times as they walked down the street.

Roy pulled the push mower while Cuddy walked beside him as they walked up the street. They had finished mowing Mrs. Porter's lawn. As they made their way home they broke into their usual antics of making funny noises before finally they began singing and doing their own actions to accompany the song.

"**I am a little horned toad, Hopping down the road," **they sang as they both began to hop.

"**Just listen to my song," **their hands went behind their ears.

"**I sleep all winter long", **they did some fake snorting-snores and greatly exaggerated yawns.

Roy and Cuddy could see the two girls sitting on the front lawn as they neared Roy's house. They began to sing louder.

"**When spring comes I peep out," **they started 'peeping' at each other from behind the hands they held in front of their faces.

"**And then I jump about, And now I catch a fly," **'glub-glup' they were now jumping and sticking their tongues out at imaginary flies and eating them.

"**And now I wink my eye," **then they winked repeatedly at each other.

Jo-Jo had just finished making a circlet of dandelions as the two boys finished their song.

"**And now and then I hop, And now and then I stop!" **hopping several times before coming to an abrupt stop in front of the girls. They continued to catch imaginary flies with their tongues as they continued their imitation of toads.

Jo-Jo rolled her eyes, "I see the two Toad Boys have returned."

"Hey, its the Ditch-Weed Girls," Cuddy said to Roy. Roy laughed as he pushed the mower towards the garage to put it away.

Brenda scowled at her older brother, "These aren't weeds, they're flowers."

"Ummm, nope, they're weeds," Cuddy answered back.

"They're pretty, so that makes them flowers," Brenda retorted back.

"They're pesky weeds" Cuddy countered as Roy came back from putting the mower away.

Jo-Jo interrupted the argument between brother and younger sister, "That's enough, Cuddy. They're nice-looking enough to be considered flowers."

"So what ya arguing about?" Roy asked as he returned from the garage.

Cuddy threw a thumb in the direction of the girls, "They think dandelions are flowers instead of weeds."

"Geesh, no wonder I have to help you two in science. Flowers are planted or they grow in groups of their own. Weeds grow randomly anywhere and everywhere," Roy added with a roll of his eyes towards Jo-Jo and Cuddy.

"They're _FLOWERS_," Brenda blurted out, "And once Jo-Jo puts on the crown she's making she'll be The Dandelion Princess."

"More like the _QUEEN _of the _BONE EATING SNOT FLOWERS_," Roy whispered to Cuddy as they broke down into giggles.

"You're making that up. There are no such flowers like that!" Brenda challenged him.

Roy threw her an all-knowing look. "Wanna bet? They eat the brains of dead whales at the bottom of the ocean floor."

"You're so DIS-GUST-ING," Jo-Jo retorted back.

"Yes, and you just _LOVE _it when I'm disgusting," Roy teased back as he nudged against her.

Jo-Jo gave him a dirty look. Sometimes she didn't know what to make of him. One minute he would be nice to her and the next he'd start teasing her. She did note that he NEVER teased her at school; in fact, both Cuddy and Roy treated her rather nicely at school. They were her biggest defenders against anyone who tried to hassle her.

"Come on Jo-Jo, we'll go do our own ceremony to crown you princess," Brenda pleaded with the older girl as she looked scornfully at the two boys.

Cuddy's face suddenly lit up, "Awww come on, Brenda. Roy and I would love to help you crown Jo-Jo."

Roy gave his head an affirmative shake before he leaned over and whispered into Cuddy's ear. The two girls looked on as the two boys buzzed back and forth to each other occasionally giving a sly glance or mischievous smile their way. Jo-Jo narrowed her eyes at them suspiciously.

"What are you two toads up to," Jo-Jo finally asked, convinced that they were planning something.

"We're not just any toads. We're _HORNY TOADS_," Cuddy added smugly.

Both boys turned their heads towards her and tilted them as the said in unison doing a barely passable imitation of Yosemite Sam, "**_Great horny-toadies, what are you doing upside-downy?_**"

"That's exactly what you two are, a couple of ugly little horny-toadies," Jo-Jo retorted.

"Don't go getting us horny toads mad because we'll squirt blood out of our eyes at you," Roy threatened.

Cuddy piped up, "Okay, okay, let's get down to the business of crowning the Dandelion Princess. A ceremony is definitely in order"

Brenda jumped up and down excitedly, "Yes, let's have a crowning ceremony."

"I'm not so sure we should trust you two toads," Jo-Jo said skeptically.

"We promise we'll behave…mostly. Cross our hearts," Cuddy said as both he and Roy drew X's over their hearts with their finger.

"Hmmmmph, I heard that line from the two of you goons before," Jo-Jo said testily.

"Okay is everyone ready for the ceremony. Grand Toadster Roy will be officiating," Cuddy announced.

"Let's see, since we don't have a bouquet of _BONE EATING SNOT FLOWERS_ we'll have to use the rest of the remaining dandelions," Roy said looking directly at Jo-Jo.

"Brenda, gather the remaining flowers for the bouquet and hand them off to Roy," Cuddy instructed.

Roy pulled out a long-stemmed dandelion from the bunch that Brenda had handed him. "That one should make a good scepter," he whispered to Brenda as he handed the single stem for her to hang on to.

"Okay, are we ready to begin," Roy asked the other three.

They all indicated they were ready to start the crowning ceremony. Roy cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today…"

Before he could finish the sentence Cuddy interrupted him, "_Heavens to Murgatroyd_ Roy! It sounds like the beginning of a wedding service."

Roy gave him an irritated look, "Those are also the same words that begin a funeral service. Now, that's enough comments from the peanut gallery." Roy quickly threw everyone a silencing look before beginning again.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the coronation of the Dandelion Princess. I present to you Jo_ANNE _Johnson, Princess of the Dandelions, your undoubted ruler. Jo_ANNE_ you are present this day to pay homage and service to the Dandelion Kingdom. We, your loyal subjects, are here and willing to do the same?"

Roy whispered loudly to Cuddy, "Trumpets, please."

Cuddy cupped his hands over his mouth, "Ta-ta-da-dut-dut-daaa."

"You're Majesty, are you willing to take _the_ oath," Roy continued on with the ceremony.

Jo-Jo narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I am, your toadness."

Roy handed Jo-Jo the bouquet of dandelions. "Brenda, the crown for her Highness, please."

Roy continued after Brenda handed him the circle of dandelions. "I have for you a golden floral ring. A ring with no beginning and no ending which symbolizes your devotion to the Dandelion Kingdom. Jo_ANNE_ if you would kneel before us, so I may place this ring on your head as a visible sing of the vows which will proclaim you as Dandelion Princess."

Once Jo-Jo kneeled before him, Roy used a single Dandelion as a 'sword' and continued, "Earth-to-earth, flower-to-flower, weed-to-weed I commit you throughout eternity to serve as Dandelion Princess. If any person can see just cause as to why Jo_ANNE_ cannot serve as ruler of the Dandelion Kingdom then speak now or forever hold your peace."

Roy then placed the circle on her head and then held out a single dandelion by its stem. "Receive the Royal Scepter, the symbol of majestic power and justice." Turning towards Cuddy and Brenda, "I now give you the Dandelion Princess."

"You may lick the flies off the princess," Cuddy chortled.

Before Jo-Jo could get up off her knees, Roy grabbed her by her shoulders and held her down. He let out a couple of '_glub-glubs_' before he ran his tongue up the side of her face. She managed to push him away from her. "Why you horrid little…little…toad," she cried out in a red-faced rage.

Roy and Cuddy ran around to the other side of the wagon parked in the driveway to provide a protective barrier between them and the enraged, newly crowned princess.

"I'm sending you two the doctor's bill for the warts he's gonna have to remove," Jo-Jo simmered as she raised her fist towards the two boys.

"Actually you don't have to worry about getting warts. Dandelions cure warts," Cuddy said.

"Yeah," Roy joined in "Just use the dandelion milk from the cut end. That'll do the trick."

Roy and Cuddy dashed off up the block. "I'll be sending you MY bill instead," Roy shouted back to Jo-Jo.

* * *

Both boys laughed as they ran up the street to put as much distance from them and the wrath of the Dandelion Princess. "_Great horny toads, is she ever mad at us_," they both said breathlessly before breaking down into fits of giggles.

"I wonder what she'll do to get back at us? Do you think she's making more chains of dandelions to tie us up with?" Roy laughed as him and Cuddy as they continued walking up the street.

Cuddy turned to Roy, "You _KNOW_ it would be funny as all heck if you ended up having to spend the rest of your life chained to her."

"Only in my nightmares," Roy retorted back. He knew Jo-Jo could dish it out as good as she got it.

"I wonder sometimes if you're not sweet on her, Roy-bo. You DID pick her over me to be your partner in science class."

Roy squirmed a bit. "Only because she got to me first…_HOW _could I say no?"

"Uh-huh…I also noticed how you're always giving her one of your cookies at lunch. How you always pay her way when we go to the movies. Need I continue to prove my case?"

"That's what you're supposed to do with girls," Roy let out an inflated sigh, "Besides my parents raised me to be a _GENTLE-man_."

Cuddy raised one of his eyebrows skeptically, "You? A gentlemen? I guess that extends to sharing the same straw when you let her drink your soda."

"So I let her have a sip here and there. I don't hear you complaining when I pass the soda over to you. ALL three of us are using the same straw."

Cuddy couldn't argue with that. He thought a moment before issuing his next comment. "Just remember, if you ever do end up marrying her, you'll not only be stuck with her but her mother as well."

Roy KNEW Mrs. Johnson didn't like him. She always gave him a loathing glare accompanied by a disapproving snort whenever he walked Jo-Jo home. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of Mrs. Johnson being a permanent part of his life – now that was even more hideous than Bone Eating Snot Flowers gorging themselves on whale brains.

* * *

**Dandelion Facts and Myths:**

**If you can blow away all the seeds in three tries or less then your mother doesn't want you home, but if it takes more than three puffs then you best be getting home.**

**You supposedly can tell time by counting the number of blows it takes to removing the seeds from the dandelion. Each blow is equal to one hour. The white head is sometimes referred to as the Dandelion Clock.**

**If you make a dandelion chain and wear it around your neck it is supposed to bring you good luck. If you wear a dandelion chain someone else has made from you then you will get no luck from it.**

**The milk from a dandelion can be used to treat warts and should be applied two or three times daily. This gentle remedy can be used to treat warts on the face. You also don't get warts from frogs or toads.**

**Author's Note:**

**_The Dandelion Clock_**** was the poem used in this story and it was written by Ivy Russell. The date of the poem was written is undetermined. I did find the poem on a website in the UK featuring children's songs and poems.**

"**I am a Little Horned Toad" has no author credited to it and has been around for many years.**

**The use of a quote from Yosemite Sam is the property of Looney Tunes, of course.**

**Bert Lahr (The Cowardly Lion) was the first to utter the phrase 'Heaven's to Murgatroyd' in the film "Meet the People" (1944). The phrase was regularly used by Snagglepuss (The Yogi Bear Show) whose voice was patterned on Lahr's Cowardly Lion.**

**Horny Toads (they really are lizards) will shoot blood out of their eyes when they feel threatened. They will aim for a predator's eyes or mouth with great accuracy. They can also inflate their bodies and look like spiny balloons.**

**Bone Eating Snot Flower, however they not really a flowers. They are zombie worms. Quoted from the Ever So Strange Animal Almanac:**

"**The Bone Eating Snot Flower reproduces constantly, the female keeping a harem of males inside her tubes so that her eggs can be constantly fertilized. The eggs are cast into the oceanic currents, hopefully to find another whale carcass that has been stripped down, rather like a wormy dandelion clock. A terrifyingly ghouly snotty zombie bone-eating dandelion clock."**


	3. Irish Daisies Make You Do What!

**Living Amongst the Dandelions**

**The Delirium Threemen**

**March 2011**

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/****Mark VII Productions****. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

**I did borrow a bit from the Dinner Date**** episode****. The part I borrowed was the story Chet was telling the young girl whose arm was stuck in a the pool drain a story about how they saved a little girl's pet parakeet that had breathed in too much smoke by giving it oxygen. You'll KNOW the 'Kelly Masterpiece Theater' section when you get to it. **

**Irish Daisies Make You Do **_**WHAT!**_

_Pop-pop_

Using his thumbs, 8-year-old Chet Kelly sat on the back porch of the house removing the heads from the small pile of dandelions that lay beside him. _Pop-pop_, two more down and just a few left to behead, he mused. He was almost done, or so he thought, when he heard that annoying song his sister sang incessantly. He spotted his 6-year-old sister carrying another bundle of dandelions in her left arm and in her right arm she clutched tightly to the sock-doll their mother had made for them.

"**Miss Polly had a dolly**

**Who was sick, sick, sick.**

**So she phoned for the doctor,**

**To come quick, quick, quick;**

**The doctor came**

**With his bag and his hat,**

**And he knocked on the door**

**With a rat-a-tat-tat."**

"Ceara! Enough with that stupid song," Chet whined as she dropped the bundle of dandelions beside him.

Ceara only stuck out her tongue at her older brother which only served to aggravate him even more.

Chet smiled wickedly as he clasped a dandelion in each hand. "Here's a good song for you. **_Miss Polly had a dolly and her head popped off_**." _Pop-pop_ went two dandelion heads.

Ceara narrowed her eyes and deliberately sang the second verse of the song as loud as she could.

"**He looked at the dolly**

**And he shook his head.**

**He said "Miss Polly,**

**Put her straight to bed;**

**He wrote on a paper**

**For a pill, pill, pill.**

**I'll be back in the morning**

**If she's still ill."**

Not to be out done, Chet sang even louder, "**_Miss Polly had a dolly and her head popped off._**" He kept repeating that line over and over, accompanied by the _pop-pop_ of dandelion heads. He found the ones with the thickest stems made the deepest sounding pops.

"ENOUGH!" Riona Kelly bellowed at her two youngest children, with a good trace of Ireland in her voice. "You two would drive a saint to drink."

Silence now filled the air as brother and sister stared in awe at their angry mother. Some loose dark curls that had escaped her bun, framing her face and neck. Her eyes stared blue fire at them. The two children knew not to mess with her. Even though Riona was only an inch above five feet tall, all six of her children knew she could be a fearsome creature when angered.

"Chester B-quiet," Ceara whispered as their mother headed back into the house.

"Ceara B-rainless."

Both children froze as a third voice all the way from the kitchen yelled, "Children B-ehave!"

Riona was stripping the yellow petals from the dandelion heads, carefully making sure none of the milky stem or green of the flower was thrown into the bowl. She was still around a cup shy before she could begin making her preserves. She checked the _Spotted Dog_ in the oven before heading to the back porch to get more dandelion blossoms. She had thought by dividing up the task of picking and removing the blossoms between her two youngest children that it would keep them from bickering; she had guessed wrong.

She grabbed the basket of dandelion heads from Chet and handed him an empty basket in its place. Ceara obviously had gone to pick more dandelions. It wouldn't be much longer until she had enough petals for the jelly she planned on making that evening. She began boiling some water on the stove. A short time later Chet came into the kitchen with his basket.

"Do you still need more of these, Ma?" Chet asked in a reserved tone.

"I think I have enough Irish daisies to make my jelly, dear heart," Riona smiled softly at her youngest son.

Chet returned the smiled, "Is it okay if we go play now?"

"Don't go too far. Supper will be ready in about an hour," Riona answered before adding, "And don't pick on your little sister."

Chet scurried out the back door of the kitchen. Riona couldn't help but smile in mirth over her two youngest children. No matter how Chet smiled it his face always had an impish look. She also predicted in a little more than half an hour she'd be hearing Chet and Ceara bickering on the back porch again. Her two youngest seemed to give her a run for her money in ways the other four didn't. Riona shook her head in amusement as she removed the petals from the remaining dandelion heads. When she was finished, she poured boiling water over the bright yellow petals and covered the bowl with a tea-towel. She set them in the corner on the kitchen counter to steep for several hours.

Riona turned off the burners on the stove before she went to the cupboard and grabbed a stack of plates and headed into the dining room. She set the stack onto the long wooden table, then headed to the staircase and hollered, "Carney, come set the table."

"Be right down, Ma," her 10-year-old son answered.

Riona headed back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. Chad, her eleven year old son, entered the kitchen through the back door. After exchanging greetings, she directed Chad to the cupboard to get the drinking glasses from the shelf and take them to the dining room. Her other two sons should be along any minute. They KNEW dinner was at five o'clock on the dot. Nobody, including her husband Donald, would dare enter the dining room after five. Late for supper, you ate in the kitchen was Riona's rule.

The front door open, followed by the voices of 15-year-old Cadman and 13-year-old Casey. Riona could hear them trudging heavily to the upstairs bathroom to wash up. Chet and Ceara entered through the backdoor of the kitchen and quickly made their way upstairs to wash up, too. Riona started setting the food onto the table. By the time she had put down the mashed potatoes, all her children had assumed their seats around the long dining room table. The only empty spot was her husband's. He wouldn't be home until morning, when his shift at the fire station was done.

"You _KNOW_ you're not supposed to bring that smelly-sock doll to the table," Chet scolded his little sister.

Ceara gave Chet a dirty look before stuffing the doll under her chair. "What about the smelly-sock puppets you and Carney play with?" Ceara muttered referring to the hand puppets her brothers would amuse her with. Of course, she really didn't mind watching the little shows they put on. Her favorite play was '_The Darning of the Socks_,' but she would never let her brothers know that.

Riona waited for her children to settle down before giving a nod to her oldest son. On the nights that her husband Donald worked, it was Cadman who led the family in saying grace. Donald would be arriving home during the morning rush hour at the Kelly household. Amidst the chaos of six children getting ready for school, her husband always managed to give each child a hug, a pat on the back, or a few words of encouragement before the start of their school day.

Once the food had been passed around the table and everyone had gotten a fair portion, the talking and teasing between the children began. The two older boys were engaged in their own conversation while the four youngest started to tease each other.

"So what did you and Ceara do all day?" Carney asked Chet as he finished clearing his plate.

Chet let out a sigh, "I beheaded dandelions while Ceara picked them."

"Oooohhhh, so the two of you were playing with _pis-en-lits_," Casey piped up.

"Wonder which one of you two is gonna wet the bed tonight. Perhaps both?" Chad added as the four older boys giggled at their younger two siblings.

Riona cleared her throat. "That's not the kind of talk for the supper table," she said giving a warning glare at her six children.

The older boys muttered some quiet apologies to their mother as they began to clear the table. Riona went into the kitchen to get the _Spotted Dog_. Chad brought the dessert plates to the dining room table while Riona cut up the fruit bread. Each child spread a generous helping of butter onto the bread.

Once they were finished with their dessert, Cadman and Casey set about clearing the rest of the table off and doing the dishes. The other children went about their chores of tidying up the living room and putting their stuff away for the evening. Once the dining room table was cleared, the six children grabbed their school books and began doing their homework while their mother headed to the kitchen to make jelly.

The noise level from the children began to rise as each child completed their homework. Riona could hear the odd book being slammed shut while the sound of another book thudded onto the table. Then the teasing started.

"So which one of you is gonna wet the bed tonight?" Casey chirped at Chet and Ceara.

"Chad B(e)-full of blarney. Dandelions don't make you wet the bed," Carney said.

"The French don't refer to them as '_pis-en-lits_' for nothing," Casey added.

"NOW back to the original question. Who is gonna wet the bed tonight?" Chad said.

Chet pointed his thumb in Ceara's direction. "The one that carries around the stinky sock doll, of course," he replied smugly.

"I'm too big to wet the bed," Ceara said defiantly to Chad.

"And you two have been handling 'pee-the-beds' all afternoon," Chad added as he looked up from his book.

"Only Ceara B-a big baby is gonna be the one to do that," Chet retorted.

"Chester B-eing mean to our little sister again?" Carney added with a wink to Casey.

"Geesh, it's not like the rest of you don't pick on her," Chet muttered in his defense as he stuck out his tongue at his sister.

"Chester B-eastie," Ceara muttered.

Riona rolled her eyes at the voices of her children that carried into the kitchen. She shook her head over the game they all played with their middle initial. Of course, she went right along with her husband Donald when he suggested that all the children be given names that began with the letter 'C' and all the boys were given the same horrid middle name that began with a 'B'. At least Ceara was lucky enough to have Brianna for a middle name.

She began straining the mixture of water and dandelion petals that she had set aside several hours ago. She carefully made sure none of the yellow petals made it through the strainer. She added three more cups of water to the 'dandelion tea' in the sauce pan. She then added some sugar, lemon juice and pectin. Once the mixture came to a boil she kept stirring until it became thick enough to sheet on the back of her spoon. Once she was satisfied with the thickness of the jelly she took sauce pan off the burner and began pouring its contents into the Mason jars she had lined up on the counter. She secured the lids tightly onto the six jars. Tomorrow morning they would have Dandelion Jelly to go with their breakfast.

She heard her clan finishing up their homework as a chair here and there was pushed away from the table and the voices dropped off one by one. She poked her head out from the kitchen and spotted Cadman studying for his Geography test while the others gathered in the living room.

The three youngest boys had pulled out their sock puppets and the wooden box that they had fashioned into a theater. Casey sat on the sofa reading a book, occasionally keeping a watchful eye on his younger siblings. Riona could hear Chad, Carney and Chet as they voiced their parts in '_The Killer Smog of the Smelly Socks_.'

"Who will help my pet parakeet, he breathed in too much of the killer smog," a high-trilled voice said.

A deep-low voice answered, "Why bring him on over to Fireman Don."

"Please help my poor, widdle birdie," pleaded the high-trilled voice.

Another throaty-deep voice answered, "Time to bring out my rebreather. Breathe deeply little birdie."

"Squaaawwwk! _cough-cough_ Squaaawwwk!"

"Oh, thank you, Fireman Don for saving my pet parakeet," the high-trilled voice gushed in gratitude.

Ceara clapped her hands as they play ended. A few moments later, her brothers began their next play '_The Fate of the Mate-less Socks_.' Riona couldn't help but smile over how her sons made light of her most common laundry complaint.

After Riona had finished cleaning the kitchen she quickly went around the house tidying up before finally joining Casey on the couch. In another hour, the younger four would be getting ready for bed. The older two were allowed to stay up a little later than because of their age.

* * *

Chet burrowed under the blankets on the bottom bunk while Chad tossed and turned for a few moments on the top bunk until he got comfortable. Carney was already nestled and falling asleep in the single bed across the room. Cadman and Casey shared a room across the hall from them and were just coming up the stairs to turn in for the night.

Chet kept tossing and turning long after his two brothers had fallen asleep. His mind kept wandering to what Chad had said about dandelions making you wet the bed. Was there any truth to it? Perhaps as a precaution, one more trip to the washroom wouldn't hurt, he thought as he threw back his covers and made one last nightly dash.

Chet returned to his room a few moments later and nestled under the covers. The sound of his mother coming up the stairs for the night filled the quietness that had settled into the household. He heard her close the door to Ceara's room a few moments before she entered the room to check on him and his brothers. Chet tried to feign being asleep.

Riona could tell her youngest son wasn't yet asleep. She sat down on the bottom bunk beside him and reached out to place her hand on his forehead. Detecting no trace of a fever, she smoothed the dark curls of his bangs to get his attention.

"Chester should B-sleeping," Riona said softly as Chet opened his eyes. She smiled down at her youngest boy, "What's bothering my youngest laddie?"

"Is it…can dandelions make you…you know what Casey said about them. Is it true?" Chet confessed uncomfortably.

"Is that what's troublin' you? Now Chester, your brother was just teasing you with an old wives' tale. There'd be a smidgen of truth to what he was saying. Your Grandma Kelly uses dried dandelion root to make coffee. She swears it gets rid of the swellin' she occasionally suffers from. She also uses the sap on bee stings. And I bet you didn't know Grandma Monahan drinks dandelion tea to help with her rheumatism."

"Don't forget you're making jelly with them," Chet added.

"Oh, that's not all I use them for. I sometimes slip some dandelion leaves into a salad. My mother swore that the leaves cleansed the blood."

"Wow, its kinda neat knowing dandelions are actually good for you," Chet said.

Riona bent down and placed a kiss below the mop of dark curls on her son's forehead. "Now will you go to sleep? Mornin' will be here soon enough."

Chet wormed his way back under his covers, pulling them up to his chin. Now that the worry of a nighttime accident was no longer looming over his head, he began to think about some of the interesting remedies that a dandelion could be used for before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The cheerful whistling of tillerman Donald Kelly, echoed through the bay of Engine Co. No. 17 as he made one final check of the tool boxes and compartments on the ladder truck to ensure they were securely closed. He made sure any other loose equipment was also battened down.

He took pride in making sure everything was in its proper place. The Seagrave Aerial Ladder Truck was only a year old. He climbed atop the back of the vehicle to make sure that the tiller posts, seat and windshield were securely locked and in place overtop the 85 feet of metal aerial ladder. After those items were checked, he made sure the 50 foot Bangor ladder and Baby Bangors were also secured on the vehicle. Finally, he checked the straight ladders and roof ladder before making his way to the kitchen to join the rest of his crew.

The tired men sat around the table patiently waiting for the next shift. A couple conversed about the apartment building fire they had fought most of the night. Donald silently nursed his cup of coffee as he quietly slipped into his own thoughts which drifted to the inconsiderate bystanders and drivers that often got into the way of the large ladder truck during any given run. There were some non-regulation hand signals he would have loved to have given them to get them to move out of their pathway.

As a tillerman, Donald was the second pair of eyes for the driver of the truck and was responsible for controlling the rear axle of the large rig. Working in tandem with the driver, it was his responsibility that to steer the back-end of the vehicle in response or anticipation to the movements of the driver. On the way to the apartment fire they had to come to an emergency stop because of a group of curious onlookers had suddenly dashed in front of the vehicle. He knew his body would be aching later on today from preventing the truck from jack-knifing during that sudden stop.

Nobody had to tell the men twice it was time to go home after Captain Valkenberg released them. The stocky Irishman would soon he would be on his way home to his wife and six children. During the drive home, he anticipated seeing the bonnie blue eyes of his wife Riona. Both of them had emigrated from Ireland as children with their parents. His family had settled in New York where his father was a subway operator.

Shortly after marrying Riona, the two of them moved to Los Angeles. After doing a few odd jobs here and there he joined the fire department shortly before the birth of their first born. During their 16 year marriage they were blessed with five boys and one daughter.

* * *

Donald Kelly entered the house through the back door. He wrapped his arms around his wife as she stirred the oatmeal on the stove. "What fills the eye fills the heart," he whispered in her ear as he placed a kiss on her check.

"You smell smoky. Battling blazes all night, have ya?" Riona asked as she looked up into the twinkling hazel eyes of her husband.

"Til' the wee hours of the morning," he answered. "I'm pretty knackered."

"How 'bout you go set yourself at the dining room table while I finish getting breakfast on," Riona suggested as she tried wiggling out of his brawny arms.

After giving his wife a big squeeze he released her. He grabbed the bowls she had set on the counter and proceeded to the dining room table. After he placed the bowls on the table, the first set of footsteps barreled down the stairs.

"Da!" Ceara exclaimed as she ran over to her father.

"How's my Ceara B-eautiful," he responded as he hoisted his daughter onto his lap.

Ceara answered her Da with a quick kiss before scrambling down and taking her seat at the table. Cadman and Casey were now at the table, shortly followed by Carney. Donald could hear Chad and Chet thumping around upstairs. Riona brought out the pot of oatmeal and began to dole out it.

"Go tell Chad and Chet to quit lollygagging around," Donald said to Carney.

A few minutes later, the two dawdling boys joined the rest of the family at the table.

Riona finished putting out the bread and the dandelion jelly she made last night, along with some eggs and bacon. She grabbed the empty bowls that were used for the oatmeal and set them into the kitchen before she joined her family at the table.

Donald told the tale of the fiery monster he battled during the night while the children listened intently. Riona couldn't help but notice the only child to sample her dandelion jelly was Chet. She furrowed her brow in annoyance at the thought of the hard work she put in making it. Donald sensed his wife was irritated. It was a matter of moments before it dawned on Donald what the bee in his wife's bonnet was about.

"Hey, your Ma spent a good part of yesterday making jelly, the least you could do is give it a try. Besides it puts…," Donald said

The five boys finished their father's sentence in unison, "It puts hair on your chest."

"Well I don't want 'air on my chest," Ceara pouted.

Donald chuckled at his only daughter. "If it puts hair on their chests," Donald pointed to his sons, "then it only makes a little girl like you grow into a beautiful woman like her Ma."

"_Oh!_ I _KNOW_ what their problem is," Chet piped up. "Ma doesn't want us to talk about that stuff at the table."

Riona threw a wink at her youngest son before turning a raised eyebrow to her two oldest sons who started the nonsense last night.

"Too bad the rest of you don't have an appreciation of the hale and hearty benefits of dandelions," Chet added in an all-knowing tone of voice. He took another bite of his jelly covered bread and turned to his mother as he swallowed it, "Mmmm, tastes a bit like honey doesn't it Ma?"

As each child finished eating, they gathered their dirty dishes and stacked them in the kitchen before gathering their books. Each child lined up to say their good-byes to their parents before heading out the front door. Riona and Donald stood in the doorway as they watched their children head off to school.

"Ahhh, there goes our wayward bunch of hooligans, off to school for the day," Donald sighed contentedly as his wife wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You're forgetting, Donald, wayward children are never naughty - they are bold," Riona reminded him as she gave his middle a squeeze.

* * *

**Dandelion Facts and Myths:**

**There are many different names for a dandelion but the one fitting for this story is the Irish Daisy.**

**Dandelions have very strong diuretic properties, because they do not lower your potassium levels, which can be an issue with other diuretics. Children in some European countries avoid picking dandelions because of the old wives' tale that they make you wet the bed. Truth is that the root and leaves are known for their diuretic qualities. These can be absorbed through the skin (such as picking dandelions) so there is a bit of truth to this wives' tale. The Dandelion is known by many different names. The Scottish referred to them as "Pee the Beds" while the French refer to them as "pis-en-lits."**

**The milky sap of the dandelion can be used to relieve the pain of insect bites and stings. Dried dandelion roots can be roasted and ground to make dandelion coffee or tea. Dandelion tea is often used in detoxify the liver. It can used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and is recommended for stimulating milk production for women who are breast-feeding. Some people also use it as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.**

**Author Notes:**

**The _Spotted Dog_ Mrs. Kelly was making is an Irish bread/cake that is similar to raisin bread. It is usually cut into thick slices and slathered with butter.**

**In my story _I'll See You When The Smoke Clears_, I mentioned Roy had worked with Chet's brother Carney and that Chet was the youngest of five boys along with one younger sister. I picked out the names of the Kelly clan based on their meanings. The last name Kelly means warrior; fitting name for the warriors in this fire-fighting family.**

**The heads of the Kelly household Donald (Ruler) and Riona (Queenlike).**

**The rest of the children (oldest to youngest): Cadman (Warrior), Casey (Brave), Chad (Defender/Warrior), Carney (The Victor), Chester (Fortress), and Ceara (Bright Red). The show never revealed what the 'B' in Chester B. was so I felt in keeping with the show I wasn't going to pick a name. Just in my version of the Kelly family ALL the boys have the same middle name.**

**The last name Donnelly (Tim Donnelly/Chet Kelly) means brave, dark man.**

**Irish Sayings:**

**What fills the eye fills the heart**

**Wayward children are never naughty - they are bold**

**Knackered** means **_tired_**.

**The author of the rhyme "Miss Polly Had a Dolly" is unknown but it has been around for generations. I KNOW I wasn't the only one to pop off the heads of dandelions while singing _"(Insert Name) had a dolly and their head popped off."_**

**Next story we'll see what 'trouble' little Johnny gets into…AND he's not making it easy on me to write him, typical Gage.  
**


	4. It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

**Living Amongst the Dandelions**

**The Delirium Threemen**

**June 2011**

"**It Seemed Like A Great Idea At The Time…"**

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/****Mark VII Productions****. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

The shaggy-haired boy stood knee-deep in the remnants of a water-starved pond while the heat of the summer sun beat down on him. He had managed to evade his mother after lunch thus dodging one of her home haircuts. He stood motionless waiting for signs from the 'little ones' he was after. His rubber boots had already fallen victim to the mucky outer edges of the pond. Finally, he spotted a pair of eyes rise just above the water's surface and then the little boy moved stealthily, quickly imprisoning the small creature in his hands.

"It's okay little one. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only gonna hold ya' for ransom that's all," he said as he waded to the pot at the mucky edge of the pond. Once he secured the tiny body in his one hand, he lifted the lid of the pot up slightly and slipped the slimy, green _wasin_ inside.

"Don't worry little fellas," he said into the pot, "and …err little ladies, I'll return you back to your home when your parents come to their senses."

Johnny had overheard his father and grandfather discussing the drought that had plagued their area over the last couple of months. If they didn't get a good rain soon the farms might not get a good yield on their crops. Some of the local rivers became tricklings of water and many of creeks had turned to muck or dust. Those raising livestock also needed water for their animals drink and rain for lush, grassy pastures to graze on.

The seven-year-old had come up with a plan this morning to bring water to the reservation, just like the Coyote did when he freed the waters from the Frog People. **_That clever Coyote had tricked the Frog People with a bone that looked like a large clamshell in exchange for a drink of water. Instead of taking a drink, Coyote dug a hole under the dam they had built. After the Coyote had finished his 'drink' the dam gave way. The water flowed freely to the valley creating the creeks, rivers, and waterfalls. The Coyote had made the water available for everyone and nobody had to go barter with the Frog People if they needed water._**

_Well, I haven't seen much bones lying around that look like shells, and I doubt the Frog People would fall for that scam again_, Johnny mused to himself.

He wholeheartedly agreed with the Coyote; it wasn't right for the hoggish Frog People to have all the water. Everyone should be able to share it. He wondered if he was the only one on the reservation that suspected the Frog People were the ones responsible for the shrinking ponds, receding rivers, and streams. _Perhaps they have a special net in the sky to catch the rain too. I wouldn't put it past them, _Johnny said to himself. Johnny believed he had come up with the perfect plan to free the water again from the Frog People.

_Soon, I'll have enough of your children captive and you'll have no choice but to free the water_. Johnny wondered if he would become a legend just like the Coyote. Johnny couldn't help contemplating the stories that would be told about him. _I bet stories about the boy who held the Frog Children for ransom will be passed on down for hundreds and hundreds of years to come. Yes, I would be the boy who made the waters flow freely again_.

He spent another hour under the hot sun capturing the tiny, green water creatures. Finally, he had enough 'children' to ransom off and it was time to head home. Tomorrow he would follow the stream by his grandfather's place until he found the Frog People. He went to lift the pot that contained a dozens of frogs in it and found it wouldn't budge. He tried scooping some of the mud from around the pot, but it only seemed to sink deeper in.

"Uh-oh, this isn't good," he muttered to himself as he tried vainly for several more minutes to try to lift the pot out of the mud which had formed a tight suction around it. "Oh DRAT! Mom's not gonna be happy about this."

He felt the panic building up inside of him. He didn't see the harm at the time of 'borrowing' his mother's large cooking pot without her knowledge. The pot was perfect for holding his green hostages, but now it was stuck in the muck and his plan was disintegrating right before his eyes. Instead of freeing the waters and being heralded as a hero, he was looking as some sort of punishment for getting his rubber boots and Mom's pot stuck in the mud. He knew who to go to for help. _Yes, Grandfather always knows what to do_, he thought.

"I suppose first things first," he said to himself as he took the lid off the pot and began to scoop out the green captives he had planned on using for his 'negotiations' with the leader of the Frog People. _This really didn't turn out to be such a great idea after all_. He slowly made his way out of the pond, each step making a slurping sound. There were a few moments where he was sure he was going to meet the same fate as the pot and his boots. Johnny finally made it to the water-starved sweetgrass that surrounded the pond. He wiped off as much mud as he could from his scrawny legs onto the grass before using them to run towards his grandfather's place.

* * *

George Eaglehorse Gage had set two three-legged iron pots onto the fire to boil at the back of his house a short while ago. One pot contained the yellow blossoms of dandelions, while the other contained the roots of the plant. He moved the pots away from the heat of the fire and let them cool down. Once the two concoctions cooled down, he strained the dandelion blossoms from the one pot and the root particles from the other into two smaller pots.

The wool he had painstakingly spun into lengths of yarn in the spring was now ready to be dyed. It was no small task to convert freshly shaven wool from his small herd of sheep into yarn. Burrs, dirt, and other debris had to be removed first from the wool. To remove any oily residue from the wool he would fill a large kettle filled with soapy water to wash and rinse the wool afterwards. Afterwards, he would then pull the wool over nearby bushes too dry and strengthen. Once the wool had dried, he would spin it into yarn. He was preparing to weave the wool into blankets and throws.

Before he could dye the wool, he needed to soak it first in a mordant. He hung a caldron over the fire from a trammel. He placed the yarn into the mixture of water and soapweed yucca which would allow the color to set into the yarn. He headed into the house to fix himself something to eat while he waited for the mordant to simmer. Twenty minutes later, he took the mordant off of the fire and set it on the ground to cool before wringing out the yarn and rinsing it in hot water.

He divided the hanks of yarn between the two pots of dye and hung them over the fire again until they both came to a low boil. He removed the pots from the fire and set them a few feet away on the ground to cool. He would let the wool sit in them for several hours before removing them. This was the first time he had tried using dandelions as a base for his dyes. He couldn't wait to see how the colors from the two pots of dandelion dyes would turn out. Would he end up with a vibrant yellow or a pale shade from the blossoms, a deep red or purple from the roots? In the past he would use St. John's Wort to produce a golden-yellow, and blackberries he used to create vibrant purples or light lavenders, and the beets from his small garden tended to produce a reddish-purple color. His favorite shade of green came from Black-Eyed Susan's and for browns he used acorns.

Over the next several days he planned on dying feathers for the dreamcatchers he was planning on making. Even at his mature age George preferred to live by his terms, growing his own food or hunting for it, and earning his own money through the labors of his hands. _Keeping my hands busy keeps me out of trouble,_ he chuckled to himself. He often heard comments on his obduracy from his son and other members of the tribe.

George headed out to his small barn to begin tend his livestock of a dozen sheep, few dozen chickens, and three barn cats. Once he was finished with those chores he headed back to his house to enjoy the quiet afternoon. He noticed the heat weary plants in the small garden beside his house. The small stream that ran through his property had receded several inches. _Yes_, _the rain was going to come soon_, he thought to himself. He could feel the weight of moisture in the air and knew that the rain that was on its way praying for its generous arrival.

The swoosh of one of the pot's contents spilling onto the ground and the clatter of it being knocked over only meant one thing, George's grandson was now in the vicinity. He waited for next sound that normally followed his one of his grandson's noisy arrivals, the impatient knocking on the front door and small voice calling for him to let him in. When it didn't come George opened the front door and walked to the end of his porch. There was no sign of his grandson anywhere. He stepped off the porch went to check on his pots of dye to investigate the damage left in the wake of the 7-year-old tornado.

George set the pot upright and picked up the wool from the damp ground. He took it into the house and rinsed it off in cold water before setting it back outside to dry. _Hmmm, I guess I'm stuck with light red_, he thought. He knew the most likely place little Johnny headed off towards, the cottonwood tree near the stream. _He really needs to learn to not run away from his troubles,_ George thought as he headed towards Johnny's hiding place.

George always thought of his wife whenever he looked at the cottonwood tree by the stream. It was in the nearby woods during spring where he proposed to Mary Littlefeather on a white mantle of cottony seeds beneath the blooming cottonwood trees. White balls of tuffs clung here and there on the trees like snowball ornaments.

This particular tree by the stream held many fond memories for George; it was under this cottonwood tree where Mary announced to him that she was carrying their son. Memories of her and Roderick sitting underneath its shade while he caught fish in the stream rushed over him. His beloved Mary had succumbed to septicemia caused by a throat infection when their son was only three. George never could bring himself to remarry. "_If not for love, then a mother for your child,_" was often suggested by well-meaning relatives and tribesmen.

George had chosen to raise Roderick himself, allowing his sister Marjorie to fulfill the mother role for his son. Marjorie had long left the reservation and married into the white man's world by the time Roddy was ten. She still visited at least once a year or sometimes twice. George let his memories drift to the back of his mind like the snow-colored, flossy strings of cottonwood seeds blowing in the wind.

Just like his father before him, his grandson had sought refuge in the branches of the cottonwood tree whenever something troubled him. The only sounds that filled the air was the light gurgling of water running from the nearby stream, the slight rustling of leaves of the tree, and a few sniffles.

"Hummmph, all this time I thought this was a cottonwood tree. Turns out it's a weeping willow," George said loudly and was answered but the noise of shifting branches as his grandson poked his head out from behind the thick trunk he was hiding behind. The tears brimming from the huge brown eyes reminded George of a sad-eyed doe.

The elderly man grunted as he sat down on one of the exposed thick roots of the tree that was sticking out of the ground. "Takoja, I'm getting a little too old to climb trees," George said. He waited for Johnny to scamper down the tree before he motioned for his grandson to sit next to him.

George looked over at his grandson whose head was now hanging between his slumped shoulders. "Takoja, look at me. What did you do that was so bad that you have to hide from me?"

Johnny looked up at his grandfather. "I really got knee-deep into the muck today."

"Knocking over my pot isn't so bad. Nothing I would punish you for."

"Oh…let's just say Mom isn't going to appreciate what I've done with her good cooking pot," Johnny answered sadly as the toe of one foot dug a groove into the dry ground.

George's curiosity was piqued; it never ceased to amaze him the mischief his grandson could get himself into. "What happened with your Mom's good pot," he inquired.

Johnny squirmed a little before answering, "It's kinda stuck in the pond muck between our place and your place."

"And how did it get there?"

There were moments when Johnny was telling his tale that George was hard pressed to keep a straight face. He did stifle a laugh at his grandson's idea of holding frogs for ransom to get the Frog People to send water. _Sometimes we forget how our young ones can interpret stories too literally_, George thought with amusement. He listened patiently as Johnny finished his tale of misadventure.

"So, once you got the pot stuck in the mud, you decided to run to me for help. After tipping over my pot you decided to go hide up in a tree," George mused. "Takoja, running and hiding doesn't fix things, it sometimes makes them worse."

"I was kind of hoping you'd help me out, but then when I messed up your stuff…maybe if I hid long enough you-Mom would forget about punishing me," Johnny felt a lump form in this throat.

George put an arm around his grandson, "Having to run around looking for you and worrying over you would make things worse. You see that don't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Johnny squeaked out in a small voice.

George picked up a twig from the ground and snapped it in half to reveal its pith. He held the broken end towards his grandson to see. "Takoja, do you see what's inside?"

"It looks like a star, Tunkasila," Johnny answered.

"Do you know how it got there?" George asked.

"Didn't a star hide in there so it could be near the people so it could listen to their music, laughter and kind words?"

George grunted affirmatively, "But there is also another story on how the star got there. One that I only tell to special people."

"AND I bet you're gonna tell it to me," Johnny answered as he felt the ball in his throat dissolve. He always loved hearing stories his Grandfather told him. This was one of his Grandfather's secret stories he would only share with him.

"Close your eyes and listen," George instructed as Johnny snuggled against him and closed his eyes. George began his story…

* * *

_At one time there was only light on one side of the earth while the dark twilight dominated the other side. The light and the darkness didn't rotate around the earth. The luminance of the stars and moon were the only sources of brightness in the spectral half of the world. The youngest and most curious of those stars wanted to know what lived in the shadows down on the earth. He wondered what made those 'Who-whooooing' sounds or the chirping music. He was even curious about some of the more distressing sounds like the howling cries that sent shivers through him._

"_There must be a way for me to make myself sparkle brighter and unshroud the mysterious world below," the Star Child said._

_There were nights where the moon seemed to glow a bit brighter that the star noticed he could catch glimpses of some of these creatures. He could tell that some of them walked on four legs while others had two legs and flew in the air. The animal that made the 'Who-whoooing' sound was a two-legged flyer while the larger howling beasts were four-legged with tails. He still had yet to catch a glimpse of the musical chirpers and the one that carried a foul stench._

"_Perhaps, if I used some of the moon's beams I might be able to direct some of its light onto these beings so I could see them." It was at that moment the Star Child formed a plan to capture some moonbeams._

_He decided he needed a container to catch the moonbeams in and thought his mother's small and large long-handled pots would suit this purpose nicely. Now, all he needed to do was to get the moon to shoot some beams at him. Sometime when the moon would play with the stars he would playfully spurt moonbeams at them. He noticed that when one of his fellow stars got hit by one it would brighten for a brief moment. They tickled when you got hit by them. Other times when some of the stars pestered the moon he would fire off some moonbeams to chase them away._

_The young star decided to pitch some space rocks at the moon. Perhaps, when the moon is annoyed or mad the moonbeams he throws are more powerful, he thought as he began pelting the moon with them. The moon became very angry someone was throwing things at him for no apparent reason. He spotted the child star and hurled a moonbeam at him. The star caught it in the small pot. "Is that the best you can give me," the Star Child taunted the moon. The moon began flinging many strong moonbeams his way while the star caught them in the two pots he had 'borrowed' from his mother._

_The moon pitched one strong and powerful moonbeam at the tiny star hoping it would chase him off once and for all. Instead, the powerful beam hit the little star and sent him plummeting to the earth. _

"_Wow, he knocked me clear out of the sky," the Star Child exclaimed in amazement. His flickering glow lit up the surrounding area. The animals were hiding underneath the trees. They were afraid of the brightness that had just invaded their world._

"_Please, come into the light so I can see you," the Star Child asked. His voice only frightened them more and some quickly burrowed into the ground while others went deeper into the sheltering darkness of the forest._

_The child star frowned and looked up his brothers and sisters in the sky and then he noticed the glowing outlines of his mother's pots; one small handled pot and one larger handled pot. "Oh no, Mother Star is going to be very upset with me, her pots are now stuck up in the sky," he cried out._

_He panicked when he heard the voice of his mother calling him and hid in the nearest tree trunk. He only planned on staying there until his mother was no longer angry with him. A few hours turned into days, a few days turned into a week, and a few weeks turned into a month. The child star had finally decided that he had enough of hiding and it was best to go home and face whatever punishment his mother had in store for him. He tried to leave the tree but could not._

"_Please release me," the Star Child asked the tree, but got no answer._

_Meanwhile, the Mother Star searched the night sky for her wayward child. The moon regrettably told the Mother Star that he had hit her child with a powerful moonbeam that made it fall to the earth below. She saw her two pots nearby, fused into the sky by the power of the moonbeams. She had a pretty good idea now why her child had not called out for help from the earth below. "He's afraid I'm going to punish him," she said to herself._

_The Mother Star and the other stars searched around the dark earth below until they were exhausted. The Mother Star finally went to the Sun and asked her for her help in searching for her missing child star. The Sun agreed to move to the dark side of the world for a short period of time to light it up to help look for the missing child star. The Mother Star and the other stars traveled the light side of the earth to rest while the Sun searched their side of the world for her son._

_Soon this became a pattern, half the day the Sun light up each half of the world and then traded places with the night stars during the evening. Days, months, and years went by, but neither the Sun nor the Evening Stars found the missing star child. To this very day the Sun and the Stars trade places while they continue to look for that missing star._

_Now, the little star is still trapped in this tree and he has no way of letting anyone know where he is. He realized that by hiding from his troubles in the tree had cost him greatly. He had lost his twinkle and over time had become one with the tree._

_And during the night you can still see the two pots stuck up in the sky._

* * *

"Guess it's not such a great idea to run and hide from your troubles," Johnny said as his grandfather finished his story.

"You'll lose your sparkle like the Star Child did." George looked down at his grandson. "Never be afraid of facing your troubles. A person needs to fess up to their mistakes and accept responsibility for them."

Johnny thought on those words for a moment. "I guess I better head home and tell Mom what I've done with her pot."

"I guess you better," George answered.

"Do you think she'll punish me really bad?" Johnny asked.

George laughed, "Your parents will probably give you some extra chores around the house to keep you out of trouble."

"I promise not to hide anymore when things go wrong. I wouldn't want to lose my twinkle like the star did," Johnny added with grin.

George smiled proudly at his grandson. "Never be afraid to shine brightly, Takoja."

George stood up and helped his grandson to his feet. "Why are you running around barefoot?"

Johnny looked down at his feet which were filthy with mud and grass. "My boots are also stuck in the mud along with Mom's pot."

"Come on, let's go to back to the pond and I'll see if I can get your boots and Mom's pot unstuck," George offered and then added, "Takoja, it's also okay to ask for help when you find yourself in a fix."

Johnny wrapped his arms around his grandfather's waist as the two of them headed to the pond. George removed his moccasins and rolled up his pant legs and walked towards the two little boots sticking out from the mud. It took a couple of good pulls to free them and toss them onto the grass. He made his way to the stuck pot and after a couple of strong pulls it came free with a loud wet sounding popping noise as he freed it from the suction hold of the mud. He carried the pot and picked up the little boots while Johnny held his moccasins. George figured they could use the water pump outside of his son's house to clean up the mud that clung to their lower legs and feet.

"What's going to happen if we don't get rain soon? Will all crops shrivel up?" Johnny asked.

The snow-white clouds in sky had started to turn grey as they as they made the two of them walked across the grassy field. "See the sky, it has started to darken, that means rain is on its way," George pointed out to Johnny.

Johnny wasn't quite convinced, "Not always, sometimes it passes over us."

As the two of them entered the yard, George stopped and pointed to a patch of dandelions in the grass. "The dandelions tell me it's going to rain. See how their blossoms have closed up," George indicated.

"Do they always close when it's going to rain?"

"Always, haven't you ever noticed that before?"

* * *

Ellen Gage stood out on the porch to see if there was any sign of her seven-year-old son anywhere. _He should have been home a half-hour ago. Hmmmm, I wonder if he knows anything about my missing pot,_ she thought. Roddy was due home any moment and she was keeping supper warm on the stove. She was about to go back inside when she spotted her father-in-law and son in the grassy pasture walking towards the house.

It wasn't until the two of them entered the backyard that Ellen noticed what George was carrying. "What on earth are you two doing with my good cooking pot," she asked as she tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden back porch.

Johnny broke stride with his grandfather and ran up to the porch. "I borrowed it without asking," he informed his mother. He noticed the furrow deepen in his mother's brow as he explained why he had taken her pot.

"We'll talk about the pot later. Go to the water pump and rinse of," Ellen said firmly. "That goes for you too," she looking George sternly in the eyes. "Neither one of you is setting foot into this house until you clean off all that mud."

George stifled a chuckle, "Yes, ma'am." He began priming the pump and motioned for Johnny to come over as the water began to flow from its spout.

Ellen walked back into the house and to set the kitchen table while her son and father-in-law cleaned up. She had just putting everything onto the table when she heard Roddy's pickup truck pull into the drive way. A few moments later she heard the clomping of his work boots coming up the steps of the back porch. He greeted her with a quick kiss before sitting at his spot at the table.

"You're staying for supper, Dad," Ellen said more as an order than a request. "You could use a little more meat on your bones," she added as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

George and Johnny sat down while Ellen dished out dinner before she joined everyone at the table. Roddy had married Ellen shortly after returning home from the war. George had to admit a part of him was afraid of losing his son to the white man's world when he first brought Ellen home. He knew he was hard on his daughter-in-law in the beginning, but over time he softened towards her. He supposed that it was her willingness to learn and adapt their culture that eventually won him over. George knew his grandson was going to be a child of both worlds.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Roddy addressed his dad as they finished their meal.

"I'll probably head over to Betty White Bear's in the morning," George answered.

Ellen raised an eyebrow towards her husband which prompted him to further inquire about his father's business with the widow, "Really, I didn't know you were…"

"Don't expect any announcements," George said curtly to his son. "Nothing but business between me and Betty."

Roddy and father headed out on the back porch to talk after supper with their plates of plum cake while Johnny helped his mother clear the table. The sound of rumbling came from the sky. Johnny smiled, his grandfather was right it was going to rain soon. He headed out onto the back porch to join his father and grandfather as the first drops of rain began to fall. Ellen came out on the porch to join them. The four of them talked and watched the rain for a spell before Ellen ushered Johnny into the house as she gathered the empty plates and followed behind him. Roddy insisted on driving his father home.

"What do you have to see Betty White Bear about?" Roddy prodded his father as they rode down the wet, dirt road.

George grunted before answering, "If you MUST know, I want her to make a Star Quilt for Johnny's birthday."

George had decided he was going to dye the material that Betty would use for the quilt using coreopsis, goldenrod, bloodroot, marigolds, and dandelions to get a variation of oranges and yellows. He wanted the star quilt to remind his grandson that stars should never hide in trees, that they needed to be out in the open if they are to shine brightly.

* * *

**Dandelion Facts or Myths:**

**Dandelions are not native to North American and were introduced here by European settlers. Dandelions are amongst many plants that can be used as a natural dye for materials. The yellow blossoms can be used as a yellow dye while the roots of the plant can be used to create red dyes. In no way am I trying to imply that dandelions have always been a part of Native American culture, but they did make use of them as a medicinal and food source once they were introduced to North America. Dependent on their region, tribes used different plants to make natural dyes and paints.**

**In the dying process, you use a mordant to make the colorfast the dye with the material. The most common mordant to use is alum, but yucca glauca (soapweed yucca) is another natural mordant that can be used when dying materials. Alum is a more popular mordant among those that create natural dyes today.**

**When it rains or threatening to rain, you will notice that the yellow blossoms of a dandelion close up. You may also notice that in the mornings when dew is present as well. **

**Author's Notes:**

**Takoja –Grandchild (Lakota) **

**Tunkasila – Grandfather (Lakota)**

**Wasin - Frog (Lakota)**

**When sheep were introduced to North America by the Europeans many Native Americans switched from cotton fibers to wool for weaving cloth (there were also many other fiber sources Native American used for making cloth and clothing besides cotton fibers). There are records at the San Fernando Mission where Native Americans processed the wool from sheep and wove it into cloth.**

**The legend "The Coyote Takes Water From The Frog People" can be found on a few sites on Indian legends including the Keeper of Stories site. I did some rewording to fit into the rational or logic of how a 'young' Johnny would recall or interpret it. In the Kalapuya legend Coyote finds passes off a rib bone as a dentalia shell while the Sioux legend Coyote finds a bone shaped like a large clamshell. Coyote in many legends is considered a trickster or a 'noble' trickster as in this particular legend.**

**Interesting note on dentalia shells, they are from ocean mollusks that rare tubular in shape and can be several inches in length. They are often used to make baskets, fashion necklaces, etc. They were considered valuable and a symbol of wealth by many tribes.**

**The cottonwood tree is also known as the 'tree of life' amongst the Lakota and is used in their Sun Dance ceremony because of the star-shape found in its pith (center) which represents the Great Spirit. It is also the tree that 'taught' them how to make teepee's based on the conical shape of the trees leaves.**

**Cottonwood trees were also used by Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest for canoe making, firewood, ropes, fish traps and baskets. The Lewis and Clark Expedition used canoes carved from cottonwood trees. The Hopi carved their Kachina dolls out of cottonwood. The sap of the tree was often used for waterproofing and even glue. The cottonwood tree was also a food source and medicinal source for Native Americans. The bark and leaves of the tree were used to make poultices to relieve swelling, treat wounds, and cure headaches. There is a salicin (salicylic acid) content in the tree. **

**There is a Native American legend (haven't been able to determine the tribe) about a curious little star that hid in a cottonwood tree so it could always be near the people on earth and listen to their beautiful music, their laughter, and the kind words they say to one another. The Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes believed this is where the stars in the sky come from. The wind sends the stars to the sky from the trees. There is also another legend that the stars hide in the cottonwood trees during the day. I haven't been able to locate an actual 'stories' on these particular legends. **

**The Star Child story is NOT an Indian legend, it is my own fabrication.**


	5. If Your Nose Turns Yellow…

**Living Amongst The Dandelions**

**The Delirium Threemen**

**If Your Nose Turns Yellow…**

**September, 2011**

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/****Mark VII Productions****. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

**The inclusion of some of the lyrics to 'That Old Feeling' by Frank Sinatra is the property of the respective authors, artists and labels. No copyright infringement intended**

**Thoughts for Roy and Joanne are in italics.**

**This is a fairly long story, so you might want to go to the washroom first before you begin.**

* * *

The sun reflected off the blue pool water while several boys in swimsuits milled about the deck waiting for directions from Coach Wynnes. Joanne Johnson stood off to the side of the starting blocks with two other girls from the Yearbook Staff. They were present to take some pictures of the Lancer Mermen for the yearbook. The coach ordered six of the boys to the starting blocks. Joanne knelt down and focused the camera as the boys took their starting positions on the blocks. She quickly snapped a picture just before the coach bellowed out "Stand up." She rejoined her two companions who stood a few feet off, away from the pool.

"I think I have great start position shot of them," Joanne said to Carolyn Marsh.

Tracey Valley began gushing over Roy DeSoto. "Gosh, will you look at him. He has the perfect swimmer's physique.

Carolyn rolled her eyes in Joanne's direction. "Looks like Howdy Doody in swim trunks," she snickered. She always found Roy looked a bit of a nerdish. Part nerd, but the boy-next-door part of his appearance made up for that and gave him a certain appeal. She could understand why some girls found him cute, but Tracey's constant boy-crazy rants drove her to the brink of insanity at times.

Tracey shot Carolyn a foul look. Joanne knew Carolyn had only made the comment to get under Tracey's skin. Roy was Tracey's crush of the month and she had no idea that Joanne had been pinning over him since the end of the last school year.

"Actually, I was thinking, if you added ten years to Opie Taylor you'd end up with Roy DeSoto," Joanne added. TV's little Opie Taylor reminded her of what Roy looked like the first time she had met him. Since she was nine-years-old, she had hung around him and his best friend Cuddy, at least, 'til they started high school.

Joanne always assumed the natural thing for her and Roy would be to pair up as a couple once they entered high school. Instead, they seemed to drift apart that first year. Joanne quickly began to lose her tomboy ways and got caught up in a teenage girl's world of makeup, hair, clothing and the latest Hollywood heart-throb. During her freshman year of high school the teen idols were Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydel, Bobby Darin, and Bobby Vee. Joanne dubbed that year the "The Year of the Bobbies."

Over on the deck, Roy and Martin Ulrich were engaged in a conversation while waiting for their turn in the water. "Too bad coach made us promise to 'act accordingly' while the Yearbook Book Babes snap pictures today."

"Yeah, Carl Brooks was threatening to moon them," Roy said, "And Carl being Carl, you know he might have been boneheaded enough to pull a stunt like that."

"So uh, Roy, what do you think of Carolyn over there?" Martin asked.

"She's pretty enough. That cutie Joanne is more my type."

"Joanne?" Martin questioned. "Don't get me wrong, she's very pretty, but isn't she the dovey that set the stove on fire in Mrs. Riel's Homemaking class."

"Yep, that's the gal."

"All I can say Roy, is you better learn to cook."

Roy looked over at Joanne and thought about the promise he had made to himself about asking her out. Now that his car was finished and on the road, today was the day he needed to work up the courage to ask her.

"Ulrich, Cooper, Walsh, Gamble, DeSoto, and Malina get to the blocks," Coach Wynnes called out.

Joanne's head snapped to attention as she heard the coach call out 'DeSoto.' She got her camera ready as the boys started to climb onto the starting blocks. She focused the lens on Roy. He stood straight and tall on the block waiting for the coach to cue them to take the crouched starting position. She noted that he had to be at least six feet tall now. He had grown in height, quite a bit over the last year, she mused. His body had begun to fill out and take on a more manly appearance. She wasn't sure she liked the formation of hair that was starting to sprout in the middle of his chest. She changed her mind quickly when she glanced over at Jay Cooper and decided that chest hair was far more attractive the a 'pigeon' chest or being graced with bouncing boobies like Joe Malina.

Her eyes wandered back to Roy and she continued on with her assessment. She liked how the snug, black swim trunks fit him. His long legs were far more preferable to Mike Walsh's stout, tree trunk-like legs. His feet were a little on the flat side reminding her of the ones that belonged to that new cartoon character, Fred Flintstone. Roy's Flintstone feet were just a minor flaw in her eyes. Those feet are probably more suitable for swimming than powering a car, or braking, she thought.

Joanne snapped his picture and advanced the film quickly so she could get another shot in. She knew the yearbook editor Sue Morris would let her keep one of the photos. Sue didn't mind the girls sneaking a photo here and there for their own personal 'purposes' as long as nobody got carried away. It was normal out of the hundred or so pictures taken, that many didn't make the yearbook. In the past, it was an unspoken rule that the club members could have some of those discarded photos if they wanted them.

She got a second shot in just before Roy and the other boys assumed their starting positions. Joanne watched as he dove into the pool and wondered how he got his flat feet pointed so perfectly during his dive. Mesmerized, she observed him as he sliced gracefully through the water.

"Did you get a load of the six-pack on Steve Gamble," Tracey whispered in her ear interrupting her trance.

Joanne smiled to herself. Steve Gamble now had the honor of being Tracey's fixation for the next month. "Looks like I only have two shots left on this roll of film," she commented to Tracey.

Feeling they had enough pictures of the swim team to pick from, the three girls waved good-bye to Coach Wyness and called out a 'thank you' to him as they left the pool area.

By the time Roy finished his laps and climbed out of the pool he noticed Joanne and her two companions were gone. He felt the nervousness roil in his gut as he thought about how to approach her later on after practice. Roy was almost thirteen when his dad had towed in a badly wrecked-up Porsche to the garage he owned and presented it to him. He spent many Saturdays over the last few years working on that car with his father. Unlike most of his teenage friends, he found his parents weren't all that square or uncool. He usually thought it was disrespectful whenever he heard a school mate refer to their parents as 'Old Lady' or 'Old Man.'

Sure, his parents were the same age as everyone else's parents, but he found they were pretty reasonable. Truth was, he felt close to his parents at an age when many teenagers started pushing them away. He actually enjoyed all the time and hard work with his dad fixing up the car. His dad's one rule was they could talk about anything they wanted while working on the car, no topic was off-limits. The last several months he had peppered his father with plenty of questions about girls. A lot of what his dad told him made sense. Advice like minding his manners, showing a lady proper courtesy and respect by opening doors, allowing her entrance first, and that type of stuff. Roy felt himself blush as he remembered their talk about sex and responsibility. His father had cleared up many of the locker room misconceptions he had heard. His thoughts were interrupted by the coach calling out his name.

He went back to the starting blocks for the 440 m freestyle. This time while he was in the water, he focused more on his swimming. The coach already pointed out that he messed up the last flip turn in his final lap the first time through. This time, he managed to perform it right and got his personal best time on the 440. Coach Wyness tended to use him more for the longer distance swims because he tended to have a negative split. That did not to work out well for him on swims under 200 meters, but seemed to work more to his advantage in the longer swims. He had endurance, but it took him time to build up a steady and consistent speed.

Roy and the other swimmers hit the pool house after Coach Wyness dismissed them after their cool down period in the water. It was customary for him to point out any weak areas or flaws to the boys as they headed inside. The coach also made sure to praise them for what they did right and let them know where he was seeing improvements.

"Great time on the 440, Roy," the coach said to him as he grabbed his towel and grooming bag out of his locker.

He returned a shy 'thank you' and headed towards an empty shower stall. He washed his hair and body twice hoping to remove all traces of the chlorine smell from the pool. Once he dried off, he headed back to his locker, grabbed the bottle of Old Spice from the shelf and applied a sparing amount to his face and a touch on his chest. He began to get dressed after he had put on some deodorant.

Slowly, the pool house was emptying as Roy went to the mirror with his comb and Brylcreem in hand. He squeezed a small dab of the cream onto his hand and worked it through his short hair before styling it with his comb. He wasn't into the greaser look some of the guys sported. He kept his hair simple, short on the sides, little longer at the top, and parted at the side. He only used enough Brylcreem to keep his hair in place. He needed something to hold down his fine hair so it wouldn't get that 'fly-away' look.

Satisfied with his appearance he put his sundries away in his gym bag, along with his wet swim suit. He looked around the nearly empty pool house, making sure nobody could see him, he did a quick 'sniff test' before grabbing his school jacket from the locker. Leaving the pool house, he headed towards the school's courtyard where he promised to meet up with his best friend Cuddy. He could see his friend was engaged in a conversation with tall and pert Peggy Leonard.

"Today's the day, buddy," he called out to Roy.

Roy felt his pulse race nervously and his palms begin to sweat. "Yeah, but what if she turns me down?"

"Sounds like you're trying to bail out on the deal," Cuddy said as Roy sat down at the picnic table.

"Who is Roy all panicky about asking out," Peggy inquired as she smiled at Cuddy.

Roy groaned as Cuddy filled Peggy in. "Roy promised on the first day he drove his car to school that he'd ask Joanne Johnson out, and I, his dearly devoted friend, have made it my duty to make sure he doesn't chicken out."

"Maybe she's already left for home by now," Roy said.

"Ahhh, my fine feathered friend, I already know the answer to that question," Cuddy said triumphantly. "She's studying under a tree near the parking lot."

"Well then," Peggy added, "Quit wasting time Roy and head out there."

"Well uhh, first I need to go inside and get my books out of my locker."

Cuddy and Peggy stood up from the table. "Pegs and I shall escort you to your locker and then out the back door of the school."

Roy let out a defeated sigh as he got up and the three of them headed inside the school to his locker. Once he gathered his books, the three of them headed down the hall towards the rear of the school. Peggy wrapped an arm around a bicep of each boy.

"You know Pegs, Joanne's had a bad case of Roybies for years," Cuddy whispered loudly in Peggy's ear.

Peggy laughed, "What on earth is Roybies?"

"Cuddy, have I told you today that you're an ass," Roy mumbled.

"At least once a day, every day," he answered before turning to Peggy. "Roybies is the term I use to describe any girl that lusts for the studliness of Roy. Extreme cases involve foaming at the mouth."

Roy rolled his eyes as the three of them pushed open the back doors leading from the school to the outside. The sudden burst of sunlight on his face caused him to squint. A young girl with brown poofy hair walked by them and into the school.

"I wonder how long it takes Gail Helms to get her that Beehive hair," Cuddy commented to Peggy. "I mean, what's up with that dome-headed look all the girls style their hair in?"

"That's actually called a Bouffant, and it takes Gail over an hour in the morning to do her hair ," Peggy answered. "On the other hand, a Beehive is more…well…it looks more like a giant, oval-shaped hive attached to the back of your head."

"Remember the girl Kenny brought to our 'Lavender and Lace' dance," Roy snickered as he recalled the young lady's wild hairdo.

"Awww man, that was one hideous head of hair. It looked like she had a chicken monster attached to her head," Cuddy added.

"I remember her," Peggy exclaimed, "That hairdo is called the Cockatoo."

Roy laughed, "Cuddy's right, it looked like a mutant chicken crash-landed on her head."

"There she is," Cuddy pointed to an auburn haired girl sitting under a tree.

"Our lovely Joanne over there is sporting a hairstyle called The Flip with a headband accessory," Peggy said as she looked up to Roy. "A much more subdued hair style that doesn't overwhelm the men or cause them to make fun of one's hair."

"Kind of looks like your style," Roy commented back.

"Yes it does. You're learning fast Roy, and now it's time for us to part," Peggy proclaimed as the three of them stopped walking.

"Don't forget Roy, 'Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves'," Cuddy added as Peggy detached her arm from Roy.

"I love your one-liners, Cuddy," Peggy said as she snuggled up against him.

"He stole that line from Albert Einstein," Roy said dryly.

The three of them exchanged 'good byes' as Peggy and Cuddy continued towards the parking lot, leaving Roy standing on the sidewalk. He stared at the tree in front of him. He began to slowly walk towards it, his feet felt like they were encased in cement shoes. He trudged across the grass making his way towards the oak tree. Sitting on the other side of that tree was Joanne and it was no or never time for him.

* * *

Joanne waited patiently under the shade of a large oak tree on the lawn of the high school. The last thing she wanted to appear was obvious. Her history book lay open on the ground beside her as she tried to study. She absent-mindedly plucked a dandelion from the grass nearby. Removing one petal, "He loves me," her voice spoke inside of her head, and then "He loves me, not" as she removed a second petal. She continued to bide her time removing the soft yellow petals, praying that when she got to the last one it would be "He loves me."

It wasn't long before she spotted him and two others exiting the school. In between him and his dark-haired best friend was Peggy Leonard with each arm linked through a young man. Peggy looked up at the tall reddish-blonde fellow and laughed at something he had said. _Good old Leggy Peggy can't decide which young man to lead on_, Joanne thought sourly as she leaned back against the tree completely out of sight. "He loves me, not," a defeated whisper escaped from her as she pulled another petal from the dandelion in her hand.

"Hey, there," a voice startled her from the other side of the tree.

Joanne looked up at the grinning young man and then down at the strewn petals that covered her lap and books. She could feel the heat of embarrassment rushing to her face as the young man sat down next to her.

"You know, there's an easier way to find out if he likes you. A lot less messier than mutilating poor innocent dandelions," he said with a broad toothy grin.

"W-who likes me, w-what makes you think…" Joanne flustered as she tried to get her embarrassment under control before quickly muttering, "Nobody you know."

"Well…uhhh, I kinda heard you say 'He loves me, not'," he said bashfully as he plucked a nearby dandelion from the ground "Here smell this, if it leaves some yellow on your nose then it means you dig a guy," he explained as he held it towards her. _Geesh, I couldn't find a more stupid way to break the ice if I tried._

"What are you up to Roy DeSoto?" She eyed him suspiciously, "The last time you held one of those my way you smeared it under my chin and that was after I told you I liked butter."

"I had to be sure you were telling the truth. Besides, that was over six years ago. We were ten and if you would have held still I wouldn't have smeared ya'." _Great, now my past misdeeds are catching up with me_. He plucked a second nearby dandelion and handed it to her. "Now, we'll do this together."

She hesitantly took the flower he held out, still somewhat leery of his intentions. _Dammit, he still thinks of me as that scruffy tomboy from down the street_. "If you pull anything stupid..."

"I promise," he said while crossing his heart. "Then maybe you can try it out on…you know…find out if he…he, well, likes you."

"Yeah, maybe," she answered softly as she started into his blue eyes. When they were kids, she could always tell when he was up to something by the trace of childish mischief that twinkled in his eyes. _There's nothing in his eyes to suggest he's up to no good._

He smiled shyly as she held the blossom up to his nose. She leaned in and sniffed the blossom he held out to her. The smile melted from his face as he noted the yellow traces of pollen on her nose. He gave her an awkward look as the word "Damn" escaped from him. _She already has the hots for someone._

"What?" Joanne questioned.

"Oh nothing, I mean there's no yellow on your nose," Roy fibbed. He had seen Doug Hall talking to her earlier in the hall before his first period English class. Most of the girls he knew would give their eyeteeth for a date with him. "I guess there's really nobody you're sweet on."

"Well then, would you mind telling me who you're all ga-ga over," Joanne asked as she reached over and brushed off the yellow pollen off his nose. _Silly wives' tale, my nose should be covered in yellow. Heck, I'm surprised he doesn't notice me staring at him every chance I get_.

"Me…ahh, I'm keeping that to myself," Roy blurted out as his face turned a ruddy color.

"My guess would be Peggy Leonard."

"Your guess is wrong. Cuddy's got his sights set on her."

"Tracey Valley," Joanne threw another female name his way. She noticed how Roy got flustered whenever Tracy batted her brown bovine-like eyes at him.

"No…I mean Tracey's okay, but she's not my type," Roy answered. Tracey tended to make him feel uncomfortable with her obvious flirting. _Come on Joanne, you can't figure out it's you_.

"Okay, I give up," Joanne huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest. "There once was a time when you told me your secrets."

An awkward silence filled the air between the two 16-year-olds before Roy finally spoke, "How about I give you a lift home?" He didn't see any of the telltale signs that she was 'in' to him, which left him feeling like a deflated balloon_._

Joanne managed to suppress the giddiness that threatened to burst from her. "You have your Mom's car today?" _Keep it together, you'll scare him away if you start acting like a love-sick cow, that's Tracey Valley's department._

Roy grinned from ear to ear, "Actually, I have my own car now."

"Really? You finally finished rebuilding that car," she asked excitedly.

"Hard to believe, but yeah, finally got it finished a few weeks ago and now all the paperwork is in order," Roy proclaimed proudly.

He stood up and held his hand out to assist her to her feet before gathering his gym bag and books. He helped her pick up her books before he escorted her to the student parking lot.

"So what it'd take, four years to restore that car?"

"Just about. Spent most of my Saturdays rebuilding it with my Dad. Sometimes, Cuddy or Kenny helped out," Roy answered as they neared the champagne yellow sports car.

He opened the passenger door and held it open for Joanne. "Your chariot awaits, my lady," he said as he waited for her to sit down.

_How corny can he get? I bet his Dad taught him that line._ "At least chivalry is not dead," Joanne sighed as she set her books on the floor in front of her_. Yes, this is a good sign when he's one of those guys that's considerate enough to hold doors open and such._

He went to the front of the car and popped the trunk open. He stashed his gym bag and books in there as he grabbed the boot cover before opening the driver's side door. Roy sat down in the passenger seat and undid one latch to the roof before reaching over to the latch in front of Joanne. "Uhhh, excuse me," he said as Joanne breathed in his scent. She expected him to have a bit of a chlorine smell to him, but instead it was tangy and clean.

Once he had pushed back the canvas roof and secured the top boot cover he got into the driver's seat. "So what do you think?" he beamed proudly at her.

"Very nice," Joanne said softly as she returned a shy smile his way. Curiosity got the better of her, but she had to know. "Soooo…am I the first girl you've invited for a ride in your new car?" She had to know if he was just being nice or if he had a girl or two he was interested in.

"Ahhh, no," he answered uncomfortably before leaning closer to her. "I took my Mom for a spin around the block last night," he teased.

Joanne smiled at his answer, after all Moms don't count as competition. "How's your Mom doing? It's been a while since I've seen her," she asked.

"She's not all that crazy about riding in this car. Thinks it sits too close to the ground. Other than that, she's doing great. Just been promoted to assistant manager at the bank," he smiled proudly. He remembered how long and hard she had worked to get that position. Several times during her tenure at the bank she was passed over for promotions and he often wondered if it was because she was a woman.

"Really? That's great, when did this happen?" Joanne asked. _He always treats his Mother with so much respect. Grandma Johnson always said 'If he treats his mother well, it's a good sign he'll treat you well.'_

"Almost three weeks ago. I missed the Junior Class Howdy Hop because Dad and I took her out to Jack's at the Lake to celebrate," he answered. _Why would I want to go to the school dance knowing that Doug Hall was going to ask you out?_

"I missed the Hop too. I stayed home that night. Didn't really feel like going," Joanne informed him.

_You mean, Doug decided to ask someone else at the last minute. I don't get how all the girls want to go out with him. All he does is string the girls along thinking he's doing one of them a great honor by asking her out. YOU deserve much better than that._

"Uhhh, I'm kind of glad you didn't go with Doug," Roy said quietly.

"I turned him down," Joanne proclaimed as he backed up the car from the parking space.

_Hey, I always knew you were a sensible girl. So she doesn't want to go out with Doug? Interesting? No, that's not interesting, now I don't even know who my competition is._

"So what do you think of the car?"

"Hmmm, it's very nice."

Roy started up the car pulled out of the lot and onto Leffingwell Road. "Ya' know this car is a performance-proven, timeless beauty. The engine's been rebuilt with all original parts thanks to Dad having good connections with auto part dealers," he began to prattle on. "Reliable brakes, fully-synchronized, servomesh transmission. This car is the perfect interplay between man and machine. Driving in its purest form. Sheer, sensual, pleasure on wheels."

"I'm sure is," Joanne agreed as they headed north on Foster Road. _I haven't a clue what he's talking about. Oh dear, that bit about 'sensual pleasure on wheels' almost sounds like he wants to get it on with his car._

"Powerful, compact, efficient, and not to mention economical to operate. Superb roadability. Torsion bar suspension," Roy continued keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead. _Keep going, I'm impressing the hell out of her._ He continued to rattle off the features of his car_. _"The car's rear springs help prevent over steering. It's rear wheel drive, by the way. 75 HP with mounted grey cast iron cylinders. Did I mention the engine's in the back of the car? Car gets its power from a 1582cc air-cooled, flat-four cylinder engine. The two air intake grilles on the back keep the engine cool. Tight and solid, no rattles and shakes coming from this baby."

"Sounds like a true delight to drive," Joanne said softly. She crossed her arms over her chest. _This is just great. He's talking to me as if I was Cuddy. To him, I'm just another one of the guys just like when we were kids._

Roy wanted desperately to watch the wind blowing her beautiful auburn hair. _"I don't care how pretty she is, keep your eyes on the road."_ He heard his Dad's voice ringing in his head. _Red light, please let me hit a red light. Man, Dad has no idea how pretty Joanne is. She makes this car look like an ugly stepsister._

Joanne kept peeking over at Roy. _This is worse than I thought. He won't even steal a glance my way while he's driving. PLEASE Roy, stop talking about the damned car._

_FINALLY, a red light._ He glanced over at his attractive passenger and noted that her arms crossed and she looked kind of annoyed. _Okay, so I failed to impress her with the car. How stupid can I be, of course girls aren't into all that junk about the engine._

"Hey, you want to stop in at Harvey's Broiler?" he asked. _I remember Dad saying there are two ways to please a woman, jewelry and chocolate. Maybe if I feed her a chocolate sundae, she'll warm up to me. I bet pure chocolate sauce will make her purr like this car's engine._

Joanne pasted on a shy smile as he turned left onto Firestone Boulevard. "That sounds great," she answered trying to sound cheerful. _Heaven help me, it's his stomach that's leading the way. Perhaps a longer ride might help the situation. It's very possible once he's stuffed his face he'll start paying more attention to me. Hah, Eileen tried to tell me men think with something else. If a man is hungry, nothing else matters until you feed him, and she thinks she knows everything about men._

Roy pulled into the car hop at Harvey's before turning it off. A waitress in a short, dark, two-toned pleated skirt rolled by and signaled she'd be right with them. He glanced over at Joanne and smiled, "How about a chocolate sundae?"

"Sure, that sounds good," she replied as the waitress rolled up to Roy's side of the car to take their order.

"Must take some balance to work on those things," Roy said as he watched the waitress skate away.

"I supposed so," Joanne muttered trying to keep her jealousy under control. _This is a really bad sign. He's checking out the waitress with me sitting in his car._

_Uh-oh, I came off as too chummy with the waitress. Here's my chance and I'm blowing it. Think, Roy, think._ He smiled uncomfortably as his brain fumbled around to come up with something to talk about.

"So did you get any good pictures of the swim team at practice today," he asked her. _Man, that's pure genius. Talk about her and what she's interested in._

"Uh-huh, got some nice ones of Steve Gamble diving into the pool, and a few others," Joanne answered. _AND a delectable shot of one Roy DeSoto in his swim trunks up on the platform. That one is going into my personal scrapbook for me to drool over._

"I bet you'll make sure the Yearbook Club comes out with a great edition this year," Roy stated.

Joanne chuckled, "Last year's yearbook was horrible, wasn't it. Well, don't worry about this year's El Lancero. It won't be another Gail Blair and friend's edition I assure you. That was the biggest complaint about last year's book. At the first Yearbook Club meeting, we pledged to represent all the students in the book, not just the seniors or the popular crowd."

"I bet you'll make sure that happens," Roy smiled broadly at her. _Hey, this is great. We're talking pretty freely now. That awkwardness between us seems to be disappearing._

_Awwww, his cheeks still 'chipmunk out' when he smiles._ "I have a great picture of Cuddy and you at the talent show."

"I thought we looked kinda dorky in those outfits and fake handlebar mustaches," he replied back. _Oh please, don't put that one in the yearbook. I'll buy you a lifetime supply of chocolate._

"You guys were great. I personally thought the four of you should have won the talent show."

"What will it cost me to have you not put that picture in the yearbook?"

Joanne thought for a moment, "How about you tell me how Mr. Miller convinced you and Cuddy to join that barbershop quartet."

Roy blushed, "Well you see…it's like this…Cuddy and I were in the boy's washroom goofing around."

"Goofing around," Joanne repeated as she raised her eyebrows.

"He heard us singing some rather colorful songs, if you know what I mean."

_I would have given my right arm to have the two of you get caught singing your dirty little ditties when we were kids. A day late and a dollar short, but you guys finally got caught._ Joanne suppressed her glee. "Was it Grandfather's C-o-c…."

Roy's eyes bulged as she began to spell out the word. "It was that song and 'The Balls of O'Leary.' He gave us a choice of visiting Principal Rodgers and the Dean of Boys or joining his little quartet," he blurted out before she could finish. _JOANNE! You're not supposed to say those words or even spell them. Yeah, I know you heard us singing those songs back when we were kids, but you're a lady now._

"You got off easy," Joanne playfully scolded him as the waitress rolled up with their sundaes. _Even though the songs were naughty, your voices together have always sounded good. The two of you harmonize very well and that's what saved your butts with Mr. Miller._

Roy leaned forward to pull the wallet out of the back pocket of his trousers and handed the waitress a dollar from it. He stuffed the change in his front pocket before taking the sundaes from the waitress. "Here," he said as he handed one to Joanne.

"So how are you enjoying the Majorettes this year?" Roy asked as he scooped some ice cream and chocolate sauce onto his plastic spoon. _You look adorable with that purple tam perched on your head, those cute white booties and pleated skirt. I love that purple sleeveless top with the sequins on you._

Joanne finished swallowing before answering, "It takes a lot of practice to not drop that baton when you toss it in the air, but yeah, I really enjoy it." _Good thing you know the difference between a Cheerleader and a Majorette or I'd have to beat you over the head with my baton. Hey, wait a minute, how did he know I made Majorette this year. He must have watched us practicing._

Roy took the empty sundae cup from Joanne and got out of the car to put the empty containers in a nearby garbage can. He looked over at Joanne as he started to get back into the car. She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold. He removed his school jacket and handed it to her. "Here, you look a little chilly. Put this on."

She put her arms through the white sleeves of the purple school jacket and pushed the banded wrists to over her hands. _Awww, how sweet you're thinking ME! By the way Roy, you're not getting this jacket back when you drop me off unless you ask for it, even then I might not give it back._ She pulled the jacket around her as he started the car and pulled out of the car stop.

"You still part of the Cadet Corps," she asked as they headed home.

"Yeah, and the Jr. Red Cross. That's about all the school activities I can handle with my job at Harold and Chuck's Hardware," he answered keeping his eyes on the road. He stopped for the red light ahead and turned to her. "Saw you the other day with the Girl's Athletic Association playing field hockey. I'd sure hate to get near you girls when you're whacking around those sticks." Roy teased as he turned his head back to the road when the light turned green while the two of them continued talking.

"It can get a little dangerous out there," Joanne laughed remembering how Janice Dawson missed the ball and accidentally whomped her hard on the left calf leaving a nasty bruise. _Looks like he wasn't ignoring me earlier, of course he's keeping his eyes on the road while he's driving. Rather silly of me earlier to expect him to look at me and drive at the same time._

Roy didn't miss an opportunity to glance her way at every stop sign and red light during the route to her house. _This is going great. I'm really starting to think she likes me. Should I chance asking her out on a date when I drop her off?_

Joanne could feel the disappointment begin to arise in her as he pulled into the driveway of her home. _I wish he would have made a wrong turn, or drove past the street, or something. I can't believe how comfortable we both seem with each other. It's a shame for the ride to end so soon._

_Just ask her out. It's like getting into a cold pool. Dive right in and in a few moments you won't notice the cold the water is. _"Joanne, can I ask ya' something," Roy said as he turned off ignition. She looked his way and smiled. _Crap! She still has that yellow pollen on her nose. She'll think I pranked her when she goes inside and sees her face in the mirror._

"Yes," she said as her smile beamed his way.

He leaned over and brought his hand up to her face. "Uh…let me get that yellow stuff off your nose." Her smiled melted and he could see the hurt look in her eyes. _I blew it. I just blew it with her._

"You tricked me back at school with that dandelion nonsense," her voice was filled with hurt_. I can't believe he duped me._

"It's not what you think," he stammered.

"Really, then why didn't you just tell me back at school that there was pollen on my nose? I bet you got all kinds of kicks driving around with a yellow-nosed girl in your car."

"I had a real good reason for not telling you…"

"Let me guess. You wanted my nose to match the color of the sheer, sensual pleasure on wheels you drive around in," she accused him, an angry heat emitting from her directed at him. _Oh Roy, you picked on the wrong girl. I'm just getting warmed up here._ Joanne inhaled and was about to fire off another barrage of fury-filled words towards him.

_There's that fierceness in her eyes that she gets when she's about to cut loose on somebody. My goose is beyond cooked, it's charcoaled to a crisp._ "I did it because I like you. I want to go out with you. I'm an idiot, okay," the words tumbled out as panic took him over completely.

_Did he just say he wanted to go out with me? _The volcano inside Joanne halted its production of lava. _ME! He really wants to go out with me._

"I-I'm sorry I lied to you. I hated the idea that y-you might have wanted to date Doug Hall, and then you said you turned him down. If it's Steve Gamble you want to go out with, fine, he's a pretty decent guy. I'd rather you go out with him than that jerk Doug. I was hoping maybe you might go out with me. I didn't think you'd want to because of what happened the last time I tried to k-kiss you. That time we played spin-the-bottle behind the cinderblocks in my back yard y-you kept laughing every time I tried to …"

_Oh dear, he's going to hyperventilate soon if I don't stop him. _"Shhhhhhh," Joanne covered his mouth with her hand. "I want to go out with Roy DeSoto. Not Doug, not sure what hole you pulled Steve Gamble out of. Now, quit babbling like a fool before I change my mind about going out with you." He nodded his head up and down while her hand remained over his mouth. She looked into his bewildered blue eyes, waiting for his breathing to return to normal before removing her hand. "We were 12-years-old when we played spin-the-bottle behind the incinerator. I couldn't help laughing then. You looked so funny with your lips puckered up. You reminded me so much of a fish gasping for air."

"My Dad was right. He always said I would regret teasing you one day when we were kids," he voice was full of remorse. _Yeah, my chickens are coming home to roost now. What's worse, no one wants to kiss a guy that resembles a blob fish._

Joanne felt a tug in her heart as she saw the remorseful look coating his face. _Oh dear, he looks like a scolded puppy_. "Roy, there was more between us than the teasing. Don't you remember how you and Cuddy always watched out for me, protected me."

He took a deep breath as the words slowly came out of his mouth, "I always thought you were the neatest girl I ever met. You weren't afraid to dirty up your clothes playing."

"I recall those homemade scooters you and Cuddy put together using some old soapboxes and the wheels from a pair of roller skates. Remember the fun the three of us would have going up and down the street on those things."

"Yeah, but you sure scared the hell out of me that time you fell and badly scraped up the side of your leg. I felt so awful about that."

"It wasn't your fault I fell," Joanne smiled at him. _Why does he always try to find culpability with himself when something bad happens?_ "I remember sitting in your kitchen while you helped your Mom clean me up. You insisted on wrapping the entire roll of gauze around my leg."

The beginnings of a smile appeared on his face, "I bet you thought I was trying to wrap you up like a mummy."

"No, I thought you were very sweet and caring. You looked like you wished you got hurt instead of me. My mother had no right to scold and blame you for what happened when you took me home afterwards," Joanne remembered how crushed he looked after her mother had chewed him out.

"So you're not holding the teasing against me?" he asked tepidly.

"Oh, there's a few moments I'm not likely to ever forget," she playfully taunted him. He smiled broadly back at her. _That's right Roy, I want to see those cute chipmunky cheeks now and that adorable smile. It's so funny how your smile always has that hint of shyness to it. _She beamed softly back at him. "Haven't you ever seen me following you around school?"

"I sorta thought maybe I was imagining that," Roy's voice spoke in a quiet whisper. "Hey, on the way home, did you notice how nice things were between us while we were talking…,"

"And not worrying so much about what the other was thinking," Joanne finished his sentence.

"Can I share something with you?" The smile faded a bit on his face on his face. "Do you know why I choose to paint my car yellow?"

"You wanted it to match my nose."

"No, but it looked rather cute when it was yellow," he winked at her. "Do you recall that day when you and Brenda were making circlets out of dandelions? You looked so pretty with that dandelion crown on your head."

"So in honor of the 'Dandelion Princess' you painted your car yellow." _There it is, that smile turns my insides into marshmellowy-goo._

"Yeah, that's pretty much why I picked yellow."

_I think now is the perfect time for a little revenge which is in order for that silly stunt you pulled at the end of my 'crowning ceremony'._ "Roy, can you lean towards me a bit," she requested.

"This close enough," he said as he complied. Their faces were inches apart.

"Just hold still a moment. You seem to have a little chocolate sauce on the corner of your mouth," she fibbed as she brought her mouth close to his.

_Hey, she's going to kiss me._ They both felt a tingling jolt as her lips brushed slightly against his. Butterflies began rapidly beating their wings in her stomach. His heart beat so fast he thought it was going to explode when he felt the tip of her tongue touch the corner of his mouth. She finished the shadowy kiss and caught him off guard as she ran her tongue from the corner of his mouth to the middle of his cheek.

The look on his face was a mixture of pure bliss, passion, and confusion. She smiled mischievously at him. "I owed you that for what you did at the end of my coronation ceremony."

He gently brought his hand to her face, caressing her cheek before tilting her head slightly upward. He leaned in closer so their noses began gently rubbing against each other. She felt goosebumps rippling across her skin like a balmy breeze blowing briskly across the grass. He tilted his head slightly and his lips pressed against hers. He felt his lungs seize as the air seemed to stop moving in them. A roar filled his ears as the blood rushed to his head. Their lips continued to graze over each other while the thrill started to slowly boil between them.

He began to gently suck on her bottom lip, questioning whether he should pursue exploring it. He felt the tip of her tongue running across his top lip, he now had his answer. "Mmmmmm," the sound he made vibrated through both of them. Joanne's body exploded into a million shimmering pieces. Roy felt everything around him fade away, it was like the entire universe disappeared. The world at that moment was comprised of only him, her, and the sweetness they were sharing between themselves.

As the kiss ended, Roy felt the roar in his ear fade to a dull hum before disappearing. The rest of the world transcended back into existence. Joanne could feel each individual piece of her come back together one by one like a jigsaw puzzle being assembled. They continued to stare at each other. No words between them needed to be spoken. Wonderment and joy seemed to dance between them. A craving for another lover's morsel quickly thickened the air between them.

"Joanne," a shrill voice invaded their paradise. Eunice Johnson stood in the front doorway.

"Five minutes, Mother. I'll be in, in five minutes," Joanne called out to her mother before turning her attention back to Roy.

"Norwalk Drive-In, Saturday night?" he asked.

"Can't," Joanne looked disappointed, "Ever since they heard Eileen refer to a drive-in as a passion pit they've forbidden me to go to one."

"We can go to the theater instead. Pick you up at six."

She nodded affirmatively. "Drive me to school in the morning?" she added.

"I'll be here by eight," he leaned in for another kiss.

"I guess it's time to for me to head inside."

"I'll walk you to the door," he offered, wanting every precious sand of remaining time with her.

He quickly hopped out of the car and opened her door. He gathered her books up from the car floor and held onto them as they walked up the edge of the driveway. Joanne spotted a dandelion that had gone to seed and quickly plucked it from the edge of the grass.

"Do you remember me ever talking about my grandparents," she asked.

"You were born on their farm."

She smiled, pleased that he remembered that little detail about her. "Well, Grandma Johnson told me that if you blow all the seeds off the dandelion in one breath and scatter them in the wind then you are loved if even one clings to the stalk then you are not."

"Really?" Roy said as he shifted her books to one hand. "Mom always said that's how you sent thoughts and Dad says that's how you make wishes."

"Could represent all three," Joanne offered.

Roy gently grasped her wrist and brought the white head closer to his mouth. He checked the nearby trees to see which direction the wind was blowing and maneuvered the both of them in that direction. He smiled at her as he took one deep breath and blew with all his might on the white down of the dandelion. She smiled back at him before both of them looked at the empty stalk.

"That was for Grandma Johnson." He quickly stole a kiss from her.

They both turned their heads as the front door of Joanne's house flew open again. Mrs. Johnson narrowed her eyes and fixated them on Roy. "Well, you're certainly not the brightest bulb in the box. Now Mr. Johnson will have more weeds to pull out of the lawn," she huffed at him.

Joanne grabbed her books from Roy's arm. "Sorry about that," she whispered before scurrying up the walkway and slipping past her Mother.

_Oh boy, if that stare was a death-ray she'd disintegrate me into a pile of dust. _Roy smiled awkwardly at Joanne's mother. Her matronly figure filled the doorway blocking his view of Joanne. "Silly fool," she muttered as she abruptly turned and closing the front door behind her.

* * *

Harriett nervously paced the kitchen and glanced at the clock. "Jim, you think Roy might have gotten into some trouble with his new car?"

Jim lifted his head from the newspaper he was reading. He pulled out a kitchen chair beside him and motioned for her to sit in it. "Roy's been driving your car for a while without any mishaps. I'm sure he's just enjoying driving around and lost track of time," he assured her. "I remember my first car. I used up a whole tank of gas driving around in it the first day I got her."

"You think that's why he late tonight?"

"Honey, if he's not home by supper time then I'll go next door and see if Cuddy has any idea where he is."

Harriett was about to check the clock again when they heard a car pull up in their driveway.

"See honey, he's home now."

It was several minutes later Roy entered the kitchen with his books and gym bag in hand. His gait and manner were lackadaisical as he greeted his parents with a loopy ear-to-ear grin. Harriett shot Jim a concerned look as he plopped his books onto the kitchen table and turned towards the fridge.

"Roy," she said hesitantly, "Is everything okay?" She put a hand to his forward and withdrew it when she detected no signs of a fever."

"Oh yeah, swell," his smile never changed as he looked at her. "Everything's swell."

Roy's manner began to concern Jim as he stood up from his chair and stood face to face with his son. "You make it to swim practice?"

"Oh yeah, Dad. Shaved off several seconds on the 440 freestyle today."

"That's good Roy. Do anything afterwards?"

His smile turned bashful. "I took Joanne Johnson out for a sundae before taking her home."

"And?"

"You were right about chocolate and girls."

"Roy, where's your school jacket," Harriett asked as she stood beside Jim.

"Joanne has it. We're going out to the movies Saturday."

"So how is Jo-Jo doing these days? Been awhile since the two of you hung out together," Jim inquired.

"Jo's perfect, just perfect. Only thing I'd change about her is her mother."

"Now Roy, that's not a very nice thing to say about the young lady's mother," Harriett admonished him.

"Ummm son," Jim tried not chuckle. "Have you been making sparks or have you decided to start wearing pink lipstick?"

"Looks like Pink Melon to me," Harriett added as relief flooded into her. She pulled a Kleenex out of her apron pocket and dabbed off the lipstick on his face. "I'm sure it looks much better on her than you," she teased.

"How about you put your books away and get started on your homework before supper," Jim suggested.

Roy gathered up his books and began to head towards the stairs. "What time's supper," he asked as he started up the first few steps.

"'bout half an hour," Harriett called out to him. She turned to her husband. "I do hope you've had a talk with him about how to properly treat a gal."

"I made sure to fill him in on that stuff. Four years of talking while we worked on that car of his." Jim sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for Harriett to join him. "Part of the reason I had us rebuild that car was to keep us talking. Up until last year all the boy ever talked about was cars and sports. This year he's been asking about girls and other things."

"It just unsettles me when I hear about some of our friends' kids and the troubles they've gotten into. You don't want to know what I was thinking when he walked into the house."

Jim chuckled, "At least he's only drunk on love. So Jo-Jo Johnson is wearing his jacket."

"That means what, Jim?"

"She's his girl when she wears his jacket. He mentioned those little teenage rituals to me while we were rebuilding the car."

"I just hope he feels comfortable enough to come to us if any problems arise."

"I would say he probably will, judging from all the conversations we had at the shop. I kind of hoped doing a project like that together would help secure the lines of communication between us."

"So, did you ever act like that over a girl at his age?"

"I still get that old feeling whenever you're around."

"You better!" Harriett raised her eyebrow at Jim as he stood up.

"**_I saw you last night and got that old feeling, When you came in sight I got that old feeling," _**Jim sang softly as he offered his wife his hand for a slow dance in the kitchen.**_ "The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill, And when you caught my eye._**"

Upstairs in his room, Roy stretched out on his bed, faintly hearing the voice of his Dad singing. He smiled up at the ceiling and allowed his mind to replay the phenomenal kiss he shared with Joanne over and over again. _Making sparks, huh, wonder what she'll think when I ask her about making sparks with me._

* * *

**Dandelion Facts/Myths**

**The symbolism associated of the dandelion represents love, affection, desire, sympathy, faithfulness, happiness, and love's oracle.**

**In lieu of a daisy, many of us probably substituted a dandelion while trying to find out if "He loves, He loves me not."**

**It's been said that if you sniff a dandelion and your nose turns yellow, you are in love with a fellow, if you nose does not turn yellow, no fellow is in love with you. Another variation is if you are really in love and sniff a dandelion then the tip of your nose will become yellow. If things aren't meant to be, then there will be no yellow left behind.**

**Another blowing on a dandelion head myth and there are many of those. If you blow on a dandelion tock and scatter every seed in the wind then you are loved. If some seeds still cling to the stock then, you're out of luck. Another myth along the same vein is the more seeds remaining after blowing once on the dandelion the more you are being thought of or how much your lover is thinking of you (opposite of the one used in this story).**

**Author Notes:**

**The yellow Porsche shown in Season 4 Episode Foreign Trade was actually Kevin Tighe's personal vehicle just as the 1969 Land Rover was Randolph Mantooth's. Even Chet's VW van belonged to Tim Donnelly.**

**The Emergency! Behind the Scenes book by Richard Yokely and Rozane Sutherland states that the Porsche is a 356 Cabrio Speedster. No such thing as a Cabrio Speedster. It was a Porsche 356 Cabrio. A Speedster does not correspond to a coupe model while a Cabrio (short for cabriolet) does. Cabriolets and Coupes are related and what you will notice with a Cabriolet is that the windshield frame is the same color as the body. In a Speedster the window frame is chrome.**

**Top Back Cover/Back Cover is what you put over a convertible's roof when it is down. It snaps into place. Also known as a Tonneau cover.**

**I am grateful to my friend Kristi and her husband Lyle (and his expertise on classic cars) for helping narrow down the model and approximate year. It is at least a 1962 Porsche 356B Cabriolet based on a few things. The car color, Champagne Yellow, was first used by Porsche in 1962. The dual air vents on the back of the car and the gas filler door located on the front passenger side of the car were also introduced on the 1962 models. It is very hard to tell the 356B and 356C apart. The last production year for a Porsche 356 was 1965.**

**The Porsche that Roy and his Dad would have restored most likely would have been a few years older than a 1962 model, so yes, I am using creative liberties here.**

**Some of the wording Roy used when describing the car were taken from some Porsche brochures on the 1962 356B. _Driving in its purest form _and_ Sheer sensual pleasure on wheels. _were some of the lines actually written in one of those brochures. I also was able to view some early sixties yearbooks from Norwalk High School, California and events like the 'Lavender and Lace' appeared in a couple of them so it may have been a yearly event at the school during that time period. It was pretty neat going through those old yearbooks. One book referred to the swim team as the Lancer Mermen so that may have either is a cute nickname for the swim team put into the yearbook by the staff and not the actual moniker for the team. No copyright infringement intended.**

**The words to the one dirty dittie mentioned in the story, The Balls of O'Leary (Sung to the Bells of St. Mary)**

**The balls of O'Leary,**

**Are wrinkled and hairy,**

**They're stately and shapely,**

**Like the dome of Saint Paul's.**

**The women all muster,**

**To view that great cluster,**

**Oh, they stand and they stare,**

**At the bloody great pair,**

**Of O'Leary's balls.**

**NO, I won't give you the words to the other song "Grandfather's C###." It's really raunchy and I would be forced to change to an M rating.**


End file.
